Clan and Kin
by Quita
Summary: /OoE/ - An alternate telling of Order of Ecclesia's story: What if Albus had taken Shanoa with him upon defecting from Ecclesia? (Contains plot retelling plus borderline romantic-comedy subplot, the combination of both player modes, a fair amount of artistic licensing, and game spoilers. *Now with bonus pre and post fic scenarios)
1. Author's Preface and Notes

**Authors' Preface &amp; Notes: **

* * *

_Consider for a moment that perhaps the story of 'Order of Ecclesia' was a skewed account of what actually happened._  
_Oral histories are unreliable and history is written and embellished upon by the victors._  
_Further consider that Marcel the journalist, who wanted to make a name for himself, may have written the account of Shanoa's adventure in a way that was edgy and ahead of its time. We would then certainly have ourselves an interesting and fantastical tale for the historical period it took place in._

With that under consideration, _**this writer has set out to create a different telling of the Order of Ecclesia story.**_

* * *

First and foremost I wrote this story for myself. As in, I wrote fiction I wanted to read. The general intent was to rewrite it in a _hetero-romantic context_ but the overall story should be enjoyable by all. If others end up liking this story then that is a pleasant bonus.

This story is still in progress and has been very slow to come to fruition, as of summer 2014 I've been slowly working on it for nearly three years, and countless months beforehand of considering how to go about writing this piece as well as additional alternate scenes. _There may also be repeats of scenes from the 'Fragments of Ecclesia' collection, for lack of better being able to word some of the sentiments/memories contained within.  
_  
And even though it mucks around with the base plot, there likely isn't going to be a ridiculously-happy ending. Let's be serious: this is Castlevania after all.

Creative liberties have been taken with Albus's thought processes, base abilities, general research, and how he goes about splintering Dominus into glyphs. Shanoa has been knocked down a notch in her power level due to her retraining coming from someone who isn't as proficient at melee combat. The shortcomings of both characters are easily made up by their contrasting yet complementing strengths, which gives a higher need for them to work together.  
Furthermore, a lot of things have been theorized on and embellished on artistically as per this fiction author, as we are only given so much information to work with regarding Ecclesia as a whole, and the characters within the game. That is the beauty of _fan fiction_ \- one can play with concepts as they see fit.

To reiterate: _this fan fiction consists of an overall plot retelling, insertion of a romantic subplot, the combination of both player modes, a fair amount of artistic licensing, and game spoilers._

**_-Stressing this point: if you are against the ship in question: the main characters, then this piece of fiction might not be for you.-_**

* * *

**Thanks/Dedications**:

\- I want to thank _Engelus_ for being my biggest supporter in the years it took to finally get this piece down on 'paper'. Words cannot express my gratitude.  
\- My second round of thanks goes to _Saki, Fey, Rei, Van_, and all the others that I have had the pleasure to RP with on Tumblr. It made character research for Albus a million times easier. Bonus points to Saki for her interpretation of Shanoa rubbing off something fierce.


	2. Prologue

**'Clan and Kin'**

* * *

Timeline: _Castlevania: Order of Ecclesia,_ early-mid 19th century.

* * *

Traversing the main corridor of a lavishly decorated cathedral, a high-ranking female warrior of the Order of Ecclesia, Shanoa, strode purposefully onward. Her long indigo dress, with a high slit on the left for mobility, hung nicely on her athletic frame, tied halter-style around her neck in a bow. A dark breastplate with hanging thigh guards sat atop the cloth, pressing the garment to her form. She sported feathered arm wraps of the same material as her dress, ribbons crisscrossing down her arms and securing the sleeves in place; lace accents on both ends added a touch of contrast. Her armored thigh-length cavalry boots completed the look, clicking loudly on the polished floor.

Suddenly, Shanoa halted in her steps as her instincts told her she was being watched. Her icy blue eyes scanned the room and long black hair moved in an elegant swish as she turned to peer down the corridor. "Who's there?"

A disembodied voice responded, but it was not unfamiliar to her. "…Figures. Serves me right for trying to scare you."

The low tenured voice belonged to her colleague, Albus, the order's chief researcher and assistant to their mentor, Master Barlowe. Albus had always been fond of games and had mastered an array of special abilities some time ago. With a shrug he materialized a few steps away from her, his tall stature dwarfing her to some extent. He sported messy light brown hair, which oddly suited him despite his prestigious rank in the order. Accented by an ornate leather vest and matching bracers, his white shirt and grey pants always looked neat and pressed. And despite that wearing light colours into the field was an invitation for stain-related disasters, he somehow managed to keep his white shoes in pristine condition.

"Albus!" Although Shanoa was genuinely surprised to see him, she first glanced around for onlookers before she allowed herself a smile at his expense.

"Apparently I didn't hide my presence very well at all." He returned her smile, looking at her expectantly as she approached. "Good to see you, Shanoa."

Having stepped into his personal space, she gave a mock frown in silence while she reached up to straighten the ascot around his neck. He rarely double-looped the damn thing. "What are you doing here?"

Even though Albus gave her an appreciative nod, he could not help but smirk when replying. "Well this is our home, after all. Where else would I be?"

Shanoa shook her head dismissively, a light smile visible as caused by his sarcasm. "No it's not that. Aren't you on a mission?"

"Yes, but I wanted to make sure things here were okay." He paused and watched her for a reaction. There: she had winced slightly. "Any news worth sharing?"

Gaze dropping to the floor, Shanoa went silent. Her expression when she looked back up at him was apologetic. "Well… Barlowe chose me as the bearer, actually. We're about to start the ritual, so my body can become a vessel for Dominus."

"What did you say?" Immediately Albus's expression fell, almost as if the very life drained from his face. "Dominus… you?"

Shanoa's response was calm, yet a touch forced. "'That's right."

Normally Albus was of the cool and collected persuasion, but his temperament was not something to take lightly in that moment. With a scowl, his mood took a hard turn to downright livid. "This is an outrage! Barlowe lied to me!"

The other Ecclesian's expression had flattened briefly due to what she knew was his normal melodramatic way when things did not go according to his plans, but Shanoa's reaction soon shifted when confusion etched itself into her mind. She only voiced her query in one word, echoing 'Lied?', as there was no need to mince words.

The chief researcher pointed to himself, his volume lowering but the severity was still present in his words. "I'm supposed to be the bearer. He promised me that much!"

Uneasy, Shanoa looked away while crossing her arms. "But, the master said you-"

"What?" Closing the gap between them, Albus gripped at the sides of her shoulders firmly but took care not to use too much force. He was not angry with _her_, per se. "What did he tell you?"

Shanoa noted that he was being polite enough to let her muster a faint answer, for he waited for her to speak again, not saying a word to hurry her along. "...that you're unfit... to be the bearer."

Suppressing a gasp, Albus recoiled from her, with his expression darkening further before he rasped back at her, "He would never say such a thing!"

"But Albus-" Shanoa had started to speak but was interrupted by the cathedral bells sounding off in the halls. "I'm sorry; it's time. I have to go." With that, she whirled away from him and headed for the staircase to Master Barlowe's study.

"Wait, Shanoa! You don't understand!" Albus called after her, only having moderately regained a calm composure.

Stopping dead in her tracks, she glanced back at him from the base of the stairs with a piercing, determined gaze. "You're wrong. I'm as much a member of Ecclesia as you are." She waved an arm abroad in dismissal. "Our sole purpose is to destroy Dracula, so people can look to dawn without fearing the darkness. Am I wrong, Albus?"

He went quiet, shaking his head in denial. "That isn't-"

She strode towards him, her resolve overflowing into her very stature. An impressive and powerful sight. "For that reason, I will become Dominus, the blade to banish all evil."

Albus moved to protest once more, but faltered when Shanoa placed a hand on his arm in a gesture of goodwill.

Having successfully derailed him for the moment, Shanoa took advantage of the time she gained to quickly ascend to Master Barlowe's study, leaving Albus alone in the alcove to wrack his brain about their master's change of heart.

"How could he!?"

Anyone ignorantly observing the scene would have easily written the chief researcher off as jealous or envious of the other warrior having been chosen to bear the ultimate glyphs of the order. But this was not the final word on the matter. An ominous thunderclap erupted, followed up with a dark laugh.

"Orders may be orders, Barlowe…" Running a hand through his hair Albus stood up straight, with eyes clear and focused. He had a new purpose to drive him onward. "…But I'm holding you to your promise!"

* * *

Master Barlowe's study presided at the pinnacle of the orders' cathedral, the ornate banisters sectioned off his balcony from the view of the chapel below. Near the entrance was a lavish desk and a finely upholstered chair, and at the far end was an odd statue that had stood there for as long as anyone could remember. It was rather abstract in design: most could not tell if it was a snake, wyrm, or a centipede that was wrapping itself around a large crystal.  
Shanoa entered the study, her determined gait having become increasingly demure after leaving Albus's company, falling nearly into a cautious step when Master Barlowe bade her forward and escorted her towards the statue.

The elderly man, Barlowe, the master of Ecclesia, bore a full head of well-kept silver hair and dressed in lavish green tones accented with gold trim. With a curt nod he then began to explain the importance of what was to transpire. "Shanoa, as you know, only you can become the bearer of Dominus."

"Yes, Sir." She nodded, resolute.

"Even so, it will be nearly impossible for you to control its power. The purpose of this ritual is to make sure your body will adjust to Dominus. You will be able to wield our most powerful glyph..." Barlowe's expression momentarily reflected concern. "Dominus, which Ecclesia created as the ultimate weapon against Dracula."

With a nod, his pupil stepped up to the altar and stood next to the statue, while Barlowe extended his arms wide in preparation of the ritual.

"I'm proud of you, Shanoa. You will become our world's new savior."

From a podium to the left of the altar, three books levitated into the air and opened reveal three spell glyphs; the three pieces of Dominus: Anger, Hatred and Agony.

Steeling herself, Shanoa pulled her hair over one shoulder and turned her back to the three tomes. Holding her breath, she focused on channeling the power of the rune on her back to activate, and draw in Dominus.

She reflected on her past briefly as the runes simultaneously stretched and warped towards her. Her training had been rather secretive once she had gained the channeling runes on her shoulders and back, and she had been forbidden to pass on the details of her training and how the magic itself worked. While she understood the necessary precautions, it had certainly alienated her from her fellow clansmen. She was not haughty or proud in the least, but she was grateful that she had made it up to the final two who could bear Dominus; her only competition being Albus. Granted, her runes were her only one-up on her comrade, and she had been sure that he was going to discover some way to be able to take the role of bearer. His reaction earlier was to be expected; he had worked so hard to achieve the honor she was about to have bestowed upon her. ...It couldn't be helped. But once she had the glyphs, she would certainly need the chief researchers' continuing support so that she could indeed wield the power of Dominus to better become the salvation of mankind. They, the Order of Ecclesia, would still work together to achieve these aims.

Inching ever closer, the pieces of Dominus had touched her only in the slightest when the ritual was interrupted and everything went black.

Pain ripped through Shanoa, as if someone had torn the rune right off her back. She cried out and hunched forward, shivering and wrapping her arms around herself, her eyes wide in shock and her breath ragged.

"What's going on?!" Master Barlowe shouted as the room faded into darkness.

When the darkness subsided, Albus stood before them with his left hand aloft and was concentrating on keeping the glyph books of Dominus in orbit around him.

Confused, Shanoa looked at the intruder... and for the life of her could not identify him. "You… Who… are…?" Words and consciousness failing her, she slumped forward and hit the ground with a cringe-inducing 'thud'.

Albus furrowed his brow at the development and he fought from showing the rising guilt he felt within. He had arrived too late and now Shanoa had suffered backlash from his interruption. Furthermore, he did not have long to consider the consequences of his actions as the distraught Master Barlowe began to shout at him, hands in the air as he moved about incredulously; seemingly torn between tending to the fallen Shanoa and smacking the hell out of his wayward apprentice.

"What's the meaning of this!? Albus! You know how crucial the ritual is!"

Anger seeping into his words, Albus made a surprisingly calm accusation as his only form of rebuttal in that moment. "You lied to me."

"Albus-" Barlowe's tone became condescending, ruining any chance to reconcile the situation for immediately his pupil raged back at him, having lost his cool for the second time that day.

"I was to be the bearer. You promised me!"

"We each have a role! If you had followed orders, you might understand that." Barlowe volleyed back, also losing his typical demeanor for a moment. He took in a sharp breath and collected himself. "Above all else, Shanoa is the only one with the capacity for Dominus. You know that as well as I do."

Un-phased, Albus continued his verbal barrage. "I intended to overcome my weakness. What happened to working together?"

"Perhaps we still can. Together, we will overcome this setback as well…"

"It's too late." The younger man's expression fell to a dark smirk as he 'pocketed' the books of Dominus.

"Tell me, Albus. What do you intend to do with Dominus?"

"You said it yourself: each one of us has a role. And, like a fine master, you've finally shown me what mine must be."

"Don't be stupid, Albus! What are you planning?" Understandably, Master Barlowe appeared to be growing increasingly desperate, causing a dark grin to surface on the face of his pupil, with the meaning of 'I will be taking Dominus' behind it. "Be rational! Without that Glyph, our mission is a failure! Dracula's vessel-"

"I have my own mission." The younger man cut him off coldly, brandishing his flintlock firearm and starting to channel _Acerbatus_, a glyph named for the feelings of spite and bitterness. Rage had clouded Albus's judgement severely, for attacking Barlowe with his most powerful glyph on hand had nearly hit Shanoa in the process.

With a vocal 'tch' in irritation at the unabashed use of violence, Master Barlowe sidestepped and countered with his own rendition of a powerful lightning spell, perhaps a modified _Vol Fulgur_ lightning glyph. The elemental attack worked well enough to shield both himself and his unconscious student, but the resulting gap in his defense was just brief enough for Albus to take the opportunity to warp forward, gather up Shanoa in his arms, and back-dash out of range.

"You are our master no longer… Farewell, Barlowe."


	3. The First Week

With a bit of difficulty due to his arms being otherwise full, the young scholar turned and unloaded several cartridges from his firearm, leaving them to fall in his wake. When the casings hit the floor they caused a barrier wall of amber _Torpor_ crystals that impeded Master Barlowe's pursuit of the two pupils escaping their former master's study.

Not looking back while clutching the unconscious Shanoa tightly against him, Albus used his modified _Rapidus Fio_ glyph's speed-enhancing abilities to barrel down the corridors of the cathedral, ignoring anyone and anything in his way as he crashed through the front doors and advanced eastward towards Ruvas Forest.  
Warping short distances periodically to throw off any pursuers from his trail, his desperate behaviour caused a rapid burn of his magic and quickly drained his stamina. Aware of the dangers of fully expending his powers without rest, he laboured onward recklessly, not daring to stop until they reached a village that he had never come across before. His eyes darted to a welcome sign, barely registering the name '_Wygol_' before succumbing to the darkness of rapidly-oncoming exhaustion.

* * *

Some hours later, around sunset, Albus awoke with a migraine that promptly halted his frantic attempt to sit up. With an irritated huff, he put an arm over his eyes and gave a groan of frustration as he lay back down on the simple cot that he had been laid out on. Reflecting, he considered that he had pushed his limits with his powers in the past but never had the backlash been so bad. Then again, he had never pushed himself for so long, and with another person in his care. All things considered, he decided to give himself a few more minutes to adjust to the throbbing pain thundering across his forehead before investigating his surroundings. Blurry eyes looked up at the ceiling, and his thoughts wandered to Shanoa. He hoped that she was being taken care of as he had barely checked to see if she was still breathing when he accosted her from Barlowe's study.  
Wearily, Albus sat up and swung his legs over the edge of the cot. A wave of nausea hit him and he hunched over to suppress a dry heave and its accompanying full-body convulsions. For a few moments he fought to simultaneously control his breathing _and_ will the sickening feeling away. Eventually he managed to stand, very slowly, and observed his surroundings. The room he occupied seemed to be of typical boarding room size: small but live-able. Aside from the cot, there was a wash basin under the one window of the room and a desk with a chair across from the cot. Decidedly cozy, but smaller than his room in Ecclesia's dormitory halls. Another thought crossed his mind and he cursed himself for his careless rush to his quarters before stopping the Dominus ritual. Thankfully, most of his important possessions were kept in his inventory but there were still research-related items of consequence within his former home... He would have to worry about that later.

The sound of someone giving a single courtesy knock from outside halted him in mid-step. A man about his age then entered the room, dressed in browns and greens accented with an open black vest, with shirt sleeves rolled up to the elbows, leather gloves on his hands, and his dark hair wrapped up in cloth - further evidence that he worked either in fields or a domestic garden. Though he was rather high-strung to begin with, this man was promptly startled half to death as he hadn't expected 'the stranger' to be up and about so soon.

He stated as much to Albus, crossing his arms as he looked over his patient. "Whoa! -Didn't expect you up yet! Had a feeling one of my draughts would fix you right up! My stuff really works! Though I wouldn't push myself yet if I were you."

Albus crossed his arms as well, out of habit rather than by means to mimic. "I owe you my gratitude, mister...?"

"I'm Abram. The town's official healer. Don't you dare forget it, okay?"

"You have my respects, Mister Abram." Albus nodded, offering a hand - which was ignored.

The healer's eyes narrowed suspiciously. "This doesn't mean I trust you. Got it?"

Albus's expression flatted somewhat at the mild hostility and he gave a bit of a sigh while re-crossing his arms lightly. "I suppose I shouldn't blame you for being wary around strangers in your village."

Interrupting the increasingly tense conversation, a lady in her forties poked her head through the doorway and politely mentioned to Abram that his other patient was still asleep, then noted that the 'other stranger' was awake. Stepping into the room the woman revealed herself to be quite overly curve-endowed, dressed in beige garments accented in red. Her jolly face radiated the warmth of a kind and concerning mother figure.

"Hey there! ...Goodness, you're a tall one. " She chuckled, observing their 'guest' unabashedly. "Oh, please excuse me... I'm Irina, by the way."

"Nice to meet you. Name's Albus." He responded with a polite nod towards her. "Might I assume you were referring to my companion just now?"

"Oh, yes." The look on the woman's face fell. "She seems to be fine but she might sleep for a while."

"I ought to mention that she will likely be quite disoriented when she awakens. There was a bit of an accident and she suffered trauma to the head." With a hand on his chin in thought, Albus paused. "...Would I be able to see Shanoa?"

"No harm done, I guess." Abram shrugged nonchalantly. "But only if you get some rest after, you hear me?"

The healer's patient nodded and promised that he would do just as the doctor ordered but only if he were provided with something to take the edge off of his headache. Abram conceded, offering to make him an herbal tincture for his return.

"Anyway, she's just the next room over. Come with me." Irina beamed, leading Albus into the hallway. "Our infirmary is a bit small and we don't have an official doctor, but we make do with what we have. I assist where I can, and am the unofficial midwife. On stand-by, anyway. I have two lovely children and so I suppose I am the most experienced at child rearing in this village."

Having talked about herself enough, Irina opened the door to the room Shanoa was resting in to allow Albus a glance inside. He sighed in relief, putting a hand over his heart as he did so. Shanoa was asleep, lying on her back with the covers pulled up to her chin, her raven hair fanning out around her. She seemed peaceful for the moment, though considering what she had been through, Albus had no doubt in his mind that she would cause a scene when she woke up.

"Oh, yes, I didn't think she'd be able to rest comfortably in her travelling clothes, so I changed her into a night dress." Irina offered, closing the door a moment later. "Her effects are hanging up by the wash basin."

"Thank you very much, madam." Albus nodded at her in thanks. "If it's not too much to ask, could you at some point braid that ungodly mass of hair of hers? She gets terrible tangles."

With a chuckle, the older woman nodded and assured him that she would.

* * *

Unable to sleep, Albus lay awake for most of the night, reflecting on the previous day's events and what led up to them. Earlier that week in his master's study, he had paced before Barlowe as he gave his most recent report on the untested Dominus glyphs.

_"Accepting Dominus is likely to interfere with one's memory and emotions."_

Master Barlowe had stroked his chin while comprehending the hypothesis. _"I see…"_

_"That being the case, we should assume the true price is much higher... Sir! Name me as the bearer. I can't allow Shanoa to risk her life."_

_"But you aren't able-"_

The longest standing practice had been imbuing objects and armor with glyph magic, the intricate spell designs carved into the items channeled the power properly so that the item would not self-destruct. Eventually the ability to emblazon them on to leather, dead flesh essentially, had been discovered.  
As a result, the concept of living flesh hosting glyphs had been the next hypothesis on the agenda. They had tried multiple times to transcribe channeling runes and even raw glyphs on to willing subjects' bodies in the past, himself included, each time being a failure, and the casualty rate had been so high that their Order's numbers had dwindled quite drastically.  
Shanoa had been the only one who had no problem accepting the runes applied to her back and shoulders, and was able to harness and manifest glyphs directly. There must have been something in her unknown bloodline that had allowed her to be able to merge with glyphs without suffering any physical or mental damage.

"_There has to be a way! ...and I'll find it._" Albus had never been one to beg, but he had pleaded for the elder man to reconsider. He had sworn that he would always look out for Shanoa. He was convinced that it was his role to play.

Rubbing at his left temple a moment before giving an answer, Barlowe had sighed. "_All right, Albus. I will give you my word. But, before all that, I have a great errand for you…_"

Though the mission served as a good cover for a personal matter that he had to take care of, the basis of the errand had been far too time-consuming and futile in nature and not at all like the missions the Master usually sent him on; which made Albus suspicious after a few days. Had he just been sent out so that he would be out of the way? The answer was 'yes', once he had returned home to find that Shanoa had been finalized as the bearer in his absence. If Barlowe had kept him in the dark about such a dire matter, then what the hell was the old man really planning? It had blurred together all too quickly... and mere minutes later he had accidentally harmed Shanoa critically, stolen Dominus and had defected from the very clan that had taken them in and raised them both since childhood.

Thoughts returning to the present, Albus let out a long breath and closed his eyes as he willed away the memory. There was no helping his actions now. All that was left was the future, no matter how uncertain it was. They could stay in Wygol for a little while but they definitely would have to be careful as it was plausible that Barlowe would dispatch what was left of the Orders' agents to track them down. Although, with his two best pupils gone and the numbers of the Order already dangerously low, it would not be efficient in the slightest to use his remaining resources to go after the two traitors without first preparing.

And then Albus wondered for a moment if he should have left Shanoa behind. She would have been better cared for in Ecclesia's medical ward, instead of being tended to by a ruffian of a healer in some shanty village. ...No, perhaps it was best that he had taken her with him. Barlowe no doubt would have retrained her and would have brainwashed her against her former kindred. He couldn't bear the idea of her hating him, or rather hating him outside of her own accord. And the idea of having to engage in combat with her... damn that old man... Barlowe _would_ go that far to get Dominus back.

Speaking of the forsaken pieces, Albus knew he had a lot of work to finish regarding his research on Dominus. If no longer for the sake of Ecclesia, then for both he and Shanoa. And... for the world that he hopefully had not damned with his actions. There was something amiss in his observations of the power glyphs and he was suspicious as to their origins. He would do everything in his power to fix the mess surrounding Dominus, but it would take time and effort. The only solace to him was that as long as the Lord of Darkness slumbered, there was still precious time to act.

Clenching his eyes shut, he put his hands over his face and let out a ragged sigh as he fought to keep himself together, for a crushing wave of guilt and an overall feeling 'failure' washed over him. '_It's all my fault... I should have known...'_

And then 'the inevitable' happened. Shanoa woke, yelling bloody murder in the middle of the night as if she were being chased down by Dracula himself. Ha, she hadn't done that in years.

Growing somber again, he was only slightly relieved to hear someone rush down the hall towards her room. Albus fought with himself on doing the same, but at the very least he got up and moved to peer into the hall with the hopes that someone would give him a status update. In the dark hallway, he could see a dim light radiating from Shanoa's room and heard Irina trying to soothe her frantic patient. Her tone was audible but her words were incoherent. He did manage to catch 'you were in an accident, but you're safe now'. That calmed Shanoa down a little before the next big hurdle. She stated that she didn't remember anything, save for a dense forest.  
Irina presumably filled her in on the rest, as by that point Albus had decided he'd heard enough. Closing the door, he rested his head against the wall as he fought off the emotions of guilt and sorrow that threatened to boil over. Returning to the cot, he sat on the edge, put his head in his hands and rubbed his temples as he mentally told himself that he had to keep it together.

A few minutes later Irina checked in on him, saying that she'd gotten Shanoa to go back to sleep and that perhaps a monitored visit the next afternoon would be possible, if the poor girl wasn't too jittery. Numbly, Albus nodded and thanked her for her efforts.

Trying to lighten the severity of the moment, the older woman then joked that perhaps he ought to button his shirt back up - as 'roguishly disheveled' wasn't suiting of such a nice young man. Having previously removed his armor and gauntlets before turning in for the night, he had indeed undone a few shirt buttons but was only showing off his undershirt. He forced a smile and thanked her for keeping him in line.

* * *

After a fitful sleep, the next morning dragged on as the longest morning Albus had ever suffered through in recent memory and he did not wish to ever go through it again. He had done his best to busy himself with reading, tinkering with odd items from his inventory, even offering to assist Abram if need be - to which he was declined and told to go lie back down in his room. He did so, but nearly went stir-crazy with anticipation. Finally, Irina knocked on his door once and peered inside. With a smile she stated that it was time for a short visit, and escorted him to Shanoa's room.

The young woman was sitting up on her cot which had been moved adjacent to the window so she could see outside. The blanket covered her legs, which she had drawn up towards her and leaned her arms across her knees. Her dark hair sat in a loose braid down the back of the night dress she wore, which was short-sleeved and of a design that Shanoa would likely have called 'gross' in any other situation. She had never really been a fan of pastels and floral patterns.

"Good afternoon, dear." Irina addressed the younger woman while moving over to scoot a chair by the cot and gesturing Albus forward to take a seat. "Brought you a visitor. This is your travelling companion that I mentioned earlier."

"Hi, Shanoa. You're looking in better health today." He said quietly, sinking into the chair with Irina standing behind him dutifully. He tried his best to ignore their 'chaperone', but he did understand the older woman's apprehension. It was kind of sweet how she was looking out for Shanoa even though he knew that it was very likely going to get rather old, rather fast.

"Yes, thank you." She cast him a sideways glance. "You name is Albus, is it not?"

"Well, yes..." He paused, reflecting a moment. He thought he had prepared himself enough to deal with her emotionally-devoid and amnesia-affected self, but her question struck him far harder than he had expected. Several key moments from their time growing up together flashed through his mind... and with a pained expression he offered, "You and I... we're clan and kin."

Immediately she responded that they looked nothing alike. Her eyes narrowed as she looked him over and studied him warily.

"Well, we were raised together in the same order, so I guess I would have been like a big brother." Albus shrugged and leaned back in the chair casually. "Either way, you're the only family I've got left."

"I don't have any recollection of that." Shanoa contemplated a bit, then shook her head negatively. "...Wait, I do remember seeing you before. Before I collapsed... and I vaguely recall a forest." She paused to touch a hand to her forehead as if a twinge of pain had affected her. "...What happened? And why do I remember nothing before that?"

Albus sighed and leaned forward, resting his arms across his lap. "The ritual you were in would have taken far more than your memories if I hadn't stopped it."

"Why was I in such a situation in the first place?"

"That is a story best left for when you've had some rest." He replied with a frown, and assured her that it wasn't some happy folk tale. Lord, this conversation was taking a hell of a toll on him, as her monotonous tone, lacking her usual inflection and emotion, was unsettling and such a final testament of the Shanoa he knew being somewhere out of his reach.

"Perhaps the more complicated parts could wait until you're rested, dear." Irina offered delicately.

"Very well." Shanoa nodded at the older woman, then looked back to Albus. Her voice dropped low and implied suspicion. "And how do I know you aren't lying to me about any of this?"

"You don't." His curt response to her was also quiet. "But you're smart. Trust your instincts."

Eyes narrowing, she considered his underhanded compliment. "Another time then. I look forward to it."

* * *

During his second full day in Wygol, Albus was allowed to get some fresh air outside. Escorted by Irina, the oddly-quiet stranger was shown around the village square and introduced to some of the other residents. It was a welcome happenstance, as the scholar felt that if he spent any longer in his med ward room alone with his thoughts, he might snap and hurt somebody. After his visit with Shanoa the previous day he had returned to his room and had just laid on his cot, numb and broken, staring at the wall until he had fallen asleep for the night.

Irina dutifully kept an arm linked about one of his to keep up appearances but it was hard to tell who was escorting who with the way she practically dragged him about.  
Father Nikolai, an elderly man garbed in black priest attire and a burgundy robe, was the most courteous of the people Albus was introduced to that day. The old priest was relieved to hear that the two strangers were from an order that sought to eradicate evil. (The two of them being 'traitors' was a fact generously omitted from the explanation.)  
Marcel the journalist was pleasant, but far too inquisitive for Albus' liking. Likely in his thirties and sporting a fine black suit, Marcel asked a lot of questions about the style of magic that Albus used, how it was applied in the field, and the dangers of overextending its use. The last question had caused a frown, for it was a bit of a sore spot with the former Ecclesian. Irina had taken note of this and cheerily shooed Marcel away, afterwards taking Albus to a small diner run by a man named Aeon - who was also rather pleasant despite adjusting to country life.

"Just watch! I can cook up anything for ya!" The chef grinned, waggling his eyebrows a bit. With a sigh and a quiet laugh at Aeon, Irina ordered up something for 'her patients' then sat down to wait.

Albus decided to wait outside, wanting to take in a bit more sunshine. After excusing himself, he perched himself on a crate just outside of the diner, observing the presently empty square. Nothing really stood out in the small and cosy village, for on the far side there was a path to a small church and another row of houses.  
Socially it seemed quite tight-knit, which was of course both a good and bad thing. Getting to know the inhabitants would be a bit of a challenge, especially if he were to make the place his home temporarily while conducting his next round of research. Whenever that would come into effect.  
He mused on such things a little longer until two children, a boy and a girl, shyly approached him. Albus had seen them in the infirmary the previous day, both having been a bit too curious about the newcomers likely after hearing all about them from their mother, Irina. The boy was dressed in black pants and a long blue and white button-down shirt, sporting well-kept brown hair. His little sister wore a red dress accented in lace, with a blue and white shawl over top. Her long brown hair sat in two braids down her front.

"Excuse us, mister," The boy was a bit rough around the edges, but he was relatively polite when he addressed Albus. "Could we ask you a question?"

The 'stranger' turned his gaze towards the children. "Serge and Anna, was it?" When they nodded at him, he smiled and put forward the friendliest attitude he could muster. "A pleasure to make your acquaintance. Now, what's on your mind?"

Anna looked at her brother, who nodded to her, to which she quietly asked Albus where he and 'Miss Shanoa' had come from and how they knew each other. Serge interjected that he thought they were siblings where Anna had more 'fairy tale'-like ideas.

"Ah, well unfortunately it's a bit complicated." Albus paused a moment to consider how to word his explanation. He knew the kids were smart but that did not mean he could just throw big terms at them and hope for the best. "We're orphans who were brought up together, but are from different families. So in a way we're like siblings but we were also good friends."

"Mom said she doesn't remember anything from before you came here." Anna spoke quietly and showed concern. "Is that true?"

"Yes. We lived with a clan of warriors who fight monsters. There was an accident with some of the magic we use and she lost her memories." Both kids looked at him with sad expressions, to which he summoned a smile and reassured them. Or was he reassuring himself? He did not know anymore. "It'll be okay. She's recovered, and that is all that matters right now."

Serge frowned slightly. "What about you?"

"I failed to protect Shanoa, so I have to make it up to her." He paused, then looked at Serge expectantly. "But learn from my mistakes, all right? You have to grow strong enough to protect your kid sister."

Thinking on the notion for a moment, Serge nodded and smiled in return. Albus then asked the two if they could invite Shanoa out to play once she was up and about for she would need exercise and would benefit from a little fun after what she had been through. Both children agreed, quite excited by the idea of having a new playmate. Any further questions they had were interrupted when Irina exited the diner a moment later with a few bundles in hand.

"Wonderful, my little helpers are here." She chuckled, handing her children some parcels to carry and shooed them towards home. With a satisfied grin she handed Albus an item that he assumed was a packaged-to-go meal. "And back to the infirmary with you, young man."

Albus nodded his thanks, then looked at the covered dish in his hands. It felt warm and smelt divine. All things considering, he had not eaten a proper meal for a few days which was likely another reason why the over-use of his skill set had laid him up. His stomach rumbled and he winced slightly, causing a laugh from Irina who then told him that Aeon's food tended to bring out the ravenous beast in most people's stomachs - which was a compliment to the chef and a testament to his skills.

"But,"Irina added afterwards, "He doesn't hold a candle to my deserts."

Smiling faintly, Albus nodded at her again. He then joked that he had yet to try some of her culinary delights, before he could believe her tall claims. Irina beamed at him, thoroughly amused, alleging that her Tart Tatin and Mocha Eclairs were already legendary within the village.

* * *

The fourth day in Wygol was rainy and miserable. Albus found himself unable to focus on trying to rewrite from memory his old research notes on paper that he had managed to procure from a rather begrudging Abram. He had spent the third day alone as he had worked on his research, having declined joining the children when they had come to collect the newcomers for some fun outdoors. The children taught Shanoa how to play hide-and-go-seek and blindfolded tag, afterwards sharing some interesting candies with her.

Having penned the research introduction, and not much else, Albus sighed loudly while standing to stretch his back out, which was sore from hunching over the small desk in the room. His eyes wandered over to a book on legend lore that had been lent to him, deciding that perhaps Shanoa would benefit from it more than he could. The poor dear had been confined to bed rest due to such a dreary day, and was likely going mad from having to sit still for so long.

Glancing over at his leather vest, Albus debated tossing it back on but decided to forgo it. At the very least he tied his ascot and tucked it into his collar as he traversed the length of his room and continued into the hallway. Knocking on the door to Shanoa's room, he awaited her to verbally bade him but was surprised by her opening the door instead.

"Hello, Albus." She greeted him monotonously, as if she had not wanted to be bothered by anyone.

"Just wanted to see how you were doing." He raised an eyebrow, commenting that she seemed perturbed and offered to leave her be. Perhaps it was just how she 'sounded' to him due to her lacking emotions.

"No, it's fine." She replied. "You have information to pass on to me."

Albus shook his head, not wanting to dive into their past just yet. "Not today."

"It's a rainy day out." She opened the door wide and gestured for him to come in. "You're not going anywhere."

"I could seriously just hate you right about now." He quipped sarcastically as he stepped into the room.

Shanoa raised her head in a gesture that gave off a hint of triumph. She left the door open and moved to sit on the edge of the cot. "So. This ritual. What happened?"

Biting back a sigh, Albus tossed the book atop of mussed bed covers and then he sat himself on the lone chair by the window, spinning it around first so that he could prop his arms and chin upon the back of it. "I'd best start from the beginning. "Pausing, he gave her a sidelong glance. "Is that all right?"

She nodded, seemingly interested. There was a glimmer of her old self in the look she gave, which did nothing to ease the disconcerting feelings that rose within him.  
All things considered, he figured the best way to start would be to parrot his research introduction. It would also be a good way to test if it were comprehensible to future readers.

_"Returning to life time and again since the ancient middle ages, the evil Lord Dracula has driven people to terror. Each time Dracula returned from the dead, the Belmont clan fought him in the shadows, wielding the holy whip. Through their efforts, humanity avoided darkness, securing prosperity. But, early in the 19th century, having lost their ability to resist the darkness, those in positions of power at the time began to search for new ways to counter Dracula. Many organizations were established with the same goal, and day after day, they conducted their studies diligently, but each was dissolved when they failed to produce satisfactory results. But that was when Barlowe, the leader of the Order of Ecclesia, finally made a surprising breakthrough that could stand up against Dracula."_

Shanoa paid attention as he spoke, much like a stoic owl with the occasional nod to show she was listening. Though she peered at him when he winced angrily upon saying Barlowe's name. "What exactly were the Ecclesians doing?" She queried, having leaned forward to perch her chin on her hands.

"Our clan ...was created for the purpose of eradicating Dracula. To this end, they research glyphs and other magical techniques. Glyphs - essentially, an artistic symbol representing the power that dwells within all things. Each symbol contains a great deal of magical energy, which can be released if one properly channels magic through the glyph itself." He paused and pointed to one of her shoulders.

"You were one of Ecclesia's female warriors. You possess a unique ability that allows you to channel power through runes that are marked on body."

Nodding, Shanoa lifting up her left sleeve to inspect the red marking on her shoulder. It looked like a tattoo: a circle of power set atop an artistic pedestal. "And what of your abilities?" She asked.

Albus shook his head but offered a small smile. "I've failed all attempts to use my body as a conduit for our arts, so I am limited to relying on enchanted leather armor, and using Agartha, my charmed firearm. I can channel glyph energy into bullets, which then become magical projectiles."

"And your place in the order? Certainly not my keeper?"

Laughing quietly, Albus explained that he was formerly Ecclesia's chief researcher and, like Shanoa, was trained from a young age to harness Dominus. Although he had been Barlowe's trusted assistant, he himself knew almost nothing about their orders' source of ultimate power. He mused aloud all he knew about it when prompted by Shanoa, but it did little to answer the question.

"Dominus is a powerful magic source, and the ultimate weapon against Dracula's evil. Barlowe created this weapon by splitting the magic into three separate parts. However, all three sections must be channeled simultaneously for Dominus to have an effect..." Albus stopped, his mind shifting over to the ritual and his hypothesis on Dominus fudging with a persons 'being', essentially. "And so with a bearer named the ritual to use the ultimate glyph was slated to take place."

"But you stopped it. Why do that if it's to fight the Lord of Darkness?"

It was a tough question for him to answer, for he was still unsure with the level of validity in his actions. He looked to the floor for a short while in order to collect his scattering thoughts back into coherency.  
"The old man had promised that if I could find a way to utilize Dominus myself, then he would spare you the task of becoming the bearer. My research on that dark magic had led me to believe that anyone who was to take Dominus into themselves would lose their memories, emotions, and even their life. I couldn't let him risk your safety."

Shanoa thought on this a moment, then nodded firmly in silence.

"But our 'master' sent me off on a futile mission and tried to use you for the ritual in my absence. I would have understood if Dracula had already been resurrected, but... why use Dominus when there was no need to do so just yet? And what is there to gain in lying to me?" Again he paused, as if trying to answer his own questions - which only yielded doubt towards Barlowe's true intentions.  
"...Let's just say I knew what mattered to me, and what had to be done. Once the ritual began, though, I no longer had any choice. Everything that happened... became a path I had to follow."

"So, you chose the hard path? I still don't understand…"

"It's just as well. No need to concern yourself with the affairs of my heart." Pausing again, he bit his lip and glanced out the window. "Ours has always been the hard path. It has just branched out, is all."

"You imply that you failed me, but… I can see that you are earnestly trying to do whatever it is you think will redeem your honor."

The side glance Albus gave her showed that he seemed upset by her words; saddened rather than angered. "Hah… that isn't fair of you to say such things in these circumstances."

Looking down at her lap, Shanoa contemplating saying 'sorry', but there was no need as she knew she wasn't in the wrong. A long pause between them before she asked what they were to do presently.

Albus ran a hand through his hair - it was always a bit wild and did not like to stay brushed back, but the motion was one of his 'tells' for whenever he was frustrated. "...I have research to conduct."

Shanoa asked if she could help and he replied that regrettably there was nothing she could do in her current state that could aid him. Quietly she mulled an idea about in her head before asking if he could retrain her, causing Albus to fall into a tense silence. She could not tell if he was just declining her or if he was considering her request.

Finally he spoke up. "You can be whatever you want to be now - not what you were forced into from childhood."

"And what about you?"

His jaw set forward a bit as he considered a more solitary course of action. "I suppose I'll fade into obscurity as I continue my research to harness Dominus, until the time that it is needed."

The look she gave him heavily implied that she did not like his response and insisted that he did not have to seek his aims alone.

"I didn't want you to put yourself in danger again," Albus sighed for what felt like the thousandth time that afternoon. "Our sole purpose is to destroy Dracula, so people can look to dawn without fearing the darkness. ...I cannot in good conscience support the idea of you endangering your life again."

She repeated her request to join him and whispered with finality, 'Even though I don't remember any of it - it would be running away from a higher cause. I feel I need to do this'.

"We were raised as living weapons." Letting out a heavy breath, he looked at her, eyes nearly pleading that he wished for her to reconsider. But when it came down to it, Shanoa was always hell-bent-determined whenever she made up her mind. And though Albus could be just -if not even more- stubborn than her, he often found himself folding to her will. "...Are you sure you want this?"

Resolute, Shanoa stated that she did in fact wish to once again become a blade to banish all evil.

* * *

On the fifth day after their arrival to Wygol, Shanoa greeted the day with a vigor that would have been considered 'excitement' had she been capable of expressing it. Before heading out of her room once she was done being prepared by Irina, the older lady commented that she found Shanoa's choice of attire a bit odd and asked if other women of her order dressed the same. Shanoa's response, of course, was that she couldn't recall off hand but she knew that she was the only one who had achieved a special ranking so perhaps that was why her attire had been so odd. Irina had shook her head, and quietly joked that perhaps the leader of her order was just a pervert; for in the single mothers' eyes all men were beasts. Mutely, Shanoa nodded in compliance if only to avoid conflict due to a difference of opinion.  
Donning a spare plain linen dress from the other woman (which was a bit too big for her but cinched nicely at the waist with a belt), she spent most of the day with Irina, who showed her around and introduced her to other villagers that they came across, to which she did her best to remember to politely thank those who commented on her improved condition.  
The pair of ladies spent some time visiting the elder of the village, Daniella, and paid respects to Father Nikolai at the church, afterwards shopping at the general store. It was headed by Jacob, a middle-aged travelling merchant (currently stationary) who wore fine dark clothes and offered fair prices on all his wares. After introducing Shanoa, Irina bartered him down on some spices. Errands complete, they returned to the infirmary's small kitchen in order to start supper.

Some time later, Albus returned to the infirmary upon completing an escort mission. Earlier in the day he had spoken with both Abram and Father Nikolai about paying them back for their kindness, to which he was requested to assist Abram in searching for herbs in Ruvas Forest. Albus had little herb knowledge, but his part was the role of bodyguard. There had only been a few squid-like flying Nominons to dispatch and a patch of Une plant-monsters to cut down. Easy enough for staying in practice. It had been nice to get back into a somewhat-normal sense of routine... until he witnessed the sight before him.

"Madame Irina, she's a warrior, not a cook." Albus said flatly as he leaned in the doorway to the small kitchen, observing the two taste-testing the soup they had made together. His tone implied that Shanoa had once been an absolutely terrible cook. Terri-to-the-ble.

"Oh pshaw. How does she know that?" The elder woman chuckled, putting her hands on her hips.

Shanoa turned slightly from the hearth, not having yet put the wooden ladle to her lips, her other hand cupping underneath the utensil in case any dribbled out. "Yeah, how am I supposed to know that?"

"Don't you start." Albus's eyes narrowed at her as if she had sassed him. "Or I'll have to separate the two of you."

Irina laughed and put a possessive arm around Shanoa to hug her close, nearly making the young woman spill soup on herself. "You can't! We've already bonded! She's like my third child!"

Slightly exasperated, the researcher put a palm to his forehead. "Oh come on."

"Family is family regardless, young man." She said quite firmly yet there was a twinkle in her eye.

Albus went silent at that; heartstrings tugging at the sentiment that he had lived his life by.

* * *

The next morning while on the way to Aeon's for breakfast, Albus insisted that Shanoa find some suitable garments to train in while she adversely insisted on her old dress. The conversation turned into a heated argument of necessity versus availability that lasted several minutes in the middle of the village square before they were interrupted by Monica the seamstress ever-so-shyly approaching with some folded clothes clutched in her arms.

"For you, Miss Shanoa," She said rather timidly, once the two had quieted down and acknowledged her presence. "I heard that you needed something for training, so, ah... I just whipped these together. Please accept them?."

Eyes narrowing as he considered how fast news traveled in Wygol, Albus looked over the young woman. The teal dress that Monica wore was simple in design but it was apparent that deft hands had sewn it together. Being in her late teens, she was already skilled in her trade but had yet to acquire any confidence - perhaps in due time.

Shanoa glanced at the folded clothing being held out towards her and accepted them graciously. "They will be more than..." She had started to look at her gift, surprised that the outfit was a two piece ensemble of black tight pants and a rather ornate short halter-dress with matching arm warmers and headscarf. "...Adequate. Thank you, Miss Monica."

The younger woman blushed and put her hands to her cheeks, bidding them 'good day' before airily wandering back towards her shop.

Albus waited until Monica was out of earshot before he said anything, albeit trying his best not to laugh. "I don't even want to know."

"Points for mobility." Shanoa scrutinized the shirt-dress-thing, studying the red cross emblazoned on the front a moment before noticing parts of the garment sported corset-like lacing everywhere. Was this lingerie or day wear?! Then she examined what appeared to be a head covering, which was fashioned after a sister's veil and wimple. "I am not wearing the headpiece."

"Please don't. I don't want to go to Hell for hitting a nun."

Shanoa forced a 'ha' at her soon-to-be instructor and excused herself momentarily so she could slip into her new attire - sans the headgear. She also opted for wearing her tall boots; forgoing the leg plates as during the earlier argument it had been insisted that she could wear her armor once she was sufficiently prepared. Upon her return from the infirmary, the pair of former Ecclesians continued to Aeon's for breakfast and coffee. After their meal, they checked in with Father Nikolai to inform him of their training plans, making sure to mention that they would not be too far from village in case they were needed. The old pastor appreciated their courtesy, was relieved by their conviction to use their strengths for good, and wished them well in their endeavors.

Their training began that day in a forest clearing just outside the village, with Albus attempting to do his best to teach Shanoa the basics. Even though they had been in the same Order, they had been taught in different groups due to their gender roles and choice combat styles.  
Since it was day one, he decided to keep things simple with a proper warm-up and stretch routine - a must before heading into a skirmish or any sort of strenuous activity. Shanoa easily followed his lead, further impressed by the good physical shape of her body.

About fifteen minutes into their warm-ups, when they were both easing downwards on the last of a toe-touch set, she felt the sensation of being watched. The cascade of dark hair falling around her face prevented her from seeing ahead of her, so she turned her head to the right to glance towards the path that led back into town, only to have her instructor blocking the view of whomever was spying on them.

Albus had also noticed that they weren't alone. "Hey, I said we'd be close by - that wasn't an invitation to come watch." He grumbled aloud to them.

"Maybe so, but I want to see how our resident warriors train." Sounded the straightforward voice of Marcel the journalist. "Could make a good article."

Glancing at Shanoa, Albus sighed, 'Seems we have some fans'.

"Fantastic." She replied dryly while they both eased back up to natural standing positions.

Turning towards the road she noticed that it wasn't just Marcel that had stopped by to check out what the newcomers were up to. Anna and Serge weren't a surprise, but Laura the jeweler certainly was. Shanoa took a moment to consider that perhaps Laura was present for the same reason that Marcel was, as in they were both there to eyeball certain persons of interest. It was not vanity speaking on her behalf, as she had already been called gorgeous by Marcel. The rest was easy to assume. As for Laura, she had not witnessed her flirt with Albus - but it was worth bringing up if just to be a pest.

"So when are you and Miss Laura having a _private_ tarot reading?"

"Oh God." He groaned, leaning backwards to stretch out his muscles then lowered his voice to a near-whisper. "I can practically feel her undressing me with her eyes."

"That a 'maybe later', then?" Shanoa crossed her arms and relaxed her stance, her neutral expression further increasing how annoying her teasing was becoming. "You two would be an attractive pair."

Frowning quite comically, Albus glared at his surprisingly sassy pupil. "I hate you."

She replied that she knew, her sarcasm obvious, and beckoned Serge and Anna over. Usually the two children were seen apart, as they had vastly different tastes in what they considered fun. Serge liked tag and hide-n'-seek outdoors while Anna preferred staying inside and playing with her cat. Though if it were a particularly nice day out, Anna could be found playing games with her brother, and if it was a dreary day out Serge would sometimes join his sister for a tea party inside - but today the two were outside together. Once they approached, Shanoa crouched down and greeted them.

"Good morning, you two. Isn't there anything else to do around here besides watch a couple of strangers get some exercise?"

"We were hoping we could watch some fighting!" Serge admitted, suddenly enthusiastic at the prospect. He clenched his hands and threw them skyward as if cheering. "And Anna wanted to see a lady warrior in action."

Shanoa gave a nod, asking if that were true to which Anna shyly nodded. Albus crossed his arms and looked down at the kids with an amused expression, telling them that there wasn't any fighting in the day's lesson plan. Serge looked a bit deflated, asking if they were just doing 'boring stuff' like exercise, and wasn't exactly all that happy to hear that his guess was confirmed when he was told that it was important to have the basics down before getting into the more difficult stuff.

"Can you teach us?" Anna looked up at Albus, her eyes shining with curiosity. "Self defense, I mean? It might help our mom not worry so much about us."

He glanced at Shanoa, who shrugged as if to say 'why not?'. He crouched down to their level and told them that it was all right by him, but only if they went and asked their mother for permission first. The children looked at each other, grinned, nodded, and ran back towards their house.

"What about you two?" Albus called towards the adult onlookers who had remained on the path.

"I think I'm good, thanks. Don't need more fighters when you've got it covered! And maybe those kids someday too?" Marcel chuckled, with Laura nodding in agreement. They both gave a wave and wandered back into Wygol's main area.

The children soon came racing back to the clearing, stopping to catch their breaths before Serge piped up that their mother had said it was okay to teach them how to defend themselves, and nothing of the violent sort. Anna added that their mom had commented that they would be in good hands.

"Well that's a plus. Then I don't have to hear about the attractive he-devil bewitching the kids and making off with them into the night." Shanoa mumbled, giving Albus the tiniest of smiles. He responded in kind with a playful nudge to her nearest shoulder.

The morning passed by quickly, Albus instructed his instruct his eager class of three as best he could. He went over the basic warm up routine again for the kids, which covered simple stretches starting from the neck, down to the ankles; one area of the body at a time. Once they were all ready, he then walked them through a few defensive stances with an emphasis on breathing and maintaining focus.

"If your opponent is bigger and stronger than you, then it's doubtful that you can take them head on. Watch their movements and try to get around them. Evade and escape is your focus for the moment." His demeanor had shifted into that of a combat instructor, his hands clasped behind his back as he circled around his students to observe what he called a 'best foot forward' stance.

"I'll demonstrate with Serge. Shanoa, if you could pair with Anna and do the same afterward," With that, he faced the young boy and crouched slightly in an offensive stance, fists at the ready.

Serge grinned and shifted his weight and put his right foot behind him, ready and waiting. Albus lunged forward, as if he were going to grab the boy, coming up empty as Serge hopped backwards and circled to the right.

"Very good." Albus nodded, straightening. "After you evade, if you can strike your assailant here, " He gestured to the back of one knee. "Take the opportunity and hit them with everything you've got. Then run as fast as you can once they're hobbled."

Nodding, Serge then glanced over at his sister. "Now you try it, Anna!"

She seemed a little unsure, but Anna steadied herself after Shanoa asked her if she were ready. Dodging the older female's grapple, she circled to the left but was taken by surprise when her exercise partner grabbed at her again, stating 'caught you' as she picked her up. Startled, Anna shrieked in alarm, but then laughed in embarrassment at herself. Her 'assailant' held on to her a moment before setting her back on her feet.

Taking a well-deserved break, the four had lunch together at Aeon's. The children asked Shanoa a lot of personal questions, concerning things like her memory loss and what it felt like, and why she didn't ever seem to smile. Though it was a bit difficult to put to words how having amnesia felt, she did her best in saying that she felt a bit empty - as if her mind was a slate that had been wiped clean. But it was a bit easier to manage the shock as her emotions had seemed to have disappeared. As for the smiling question, she was able to broach it better and explained that she _knew_ when things were upsetting or humorous, and everything in between, but she simply could not react outwardly.  
Serge asked why she didn't just try pretending, to which she found his suggestion helpful. Trying her best to force a sincere smile, the comedic results caused her three companions to burst into good-natured laughter.

After their meal, they returned to the clearing for some fun and games as a reward for the kids being such well behaved students. During a riveting game of tag, Shanoa found herself 'it', also finding out that the little devils were a lot faster and far more adept than she had thought. She turned and bolted for Albus, who stood his ground with crossed arms, disappearing right before she reached him.

Appearing behind her, he taunted 'Like you can tag me'.

"Hey, no powers." She huffed, turning to face him.

"Just like when we were children," He smirked, continuing on to tell her that she used to get upset quite easily.

Serge and Anna ran up to them, amused by the trick that Albus had pulled. Anna asked if Shanoa if she had the same abilities.

Shanoa shook her head, "No, I don't have the _Rapidus Fio_ glyph on my..." She paused and looked down at Albus's feet. "Kids, get him. We need to get his shoes off."

Albus didn't intend on using glyph magic with anyone latched on to him, and he was quickly overtaken by two excited children who tackled him to the ground and managed to find a few of his ticklish spots. Though he was laughing out loud, he became a bit irritated as his feet were weighed down by Shanoa as she unlaced his shoes and removed them, assuming she had effectively severing the link between him and his speed glyph.

"There. Now you're just like us." Shanoa forced a smirk, and the giggling Serge and Anna let their defeated instructor up.

Albus sulked, batting away Shanoa's hand when she offered to help him to his feet. While he dusted himself off he gave a smug grin and decided against ruining their fun, for they had only actually knocked down his Quadruple Ignis kick down a couple of levels. His movement-related glyphs were in actuality emblazoned on his vest.

'Normal' tag lasted for another half hour before it was time to return the children home for dinner, to which Irina insisted that the newcomers join them. The two youths vividly recounted their day to their mother, who was amused by both how energetic her children were and how quiet her guests had become. While serving up a simple apple pie after the meal Irina quietly thanked the two of them for humoring her children.

"It's hard for them, with no one else their age to play with. Well, you know how it is." She smiled, then glanced at Shanoa and then apologized for being oblivious to her amnesia. "Anyway, I wasn't worried in the slightest as I figured that the safest place for them was with you two."

"We're flattered. Thank you." Albus gave a polite bow of his head, just before taking a bite of the dessert in front of him. As he did he glanced to his left to look at Shanoa, who sat rigidly still after having taken a bite out of her own piece of pie. "I think she's at a loss for words at how marvelous this is, Madame Irina."

With that he had to stifle a laugh at his dinner companions who were positively beaming - Irina from the compliment and Shanoa trying to show delight at the tastiness of her dessert.


	4. Re-Training

The training regimen continued the next day at dawn at Shanoa's insistence, for she woke Albus up early by barging into his room and afterwards rushing his cranky and half-asleep self to get ready, going so far as to tell him that he looked 'pretty enough' when he took far too long with his personal morning grooming routine.

And so day two of training was a session on proper stances in hand-to-hand combat, how to properly throw a punch, block and avoid attacks, and how to utilize a sweeping kick. The latter part of the day was spent conversing with Father Nikolai about their place in the village and they both agreed to strive to become reliable members of the community. When the 'meeting' had concluded, Shanoa retired early and Albus holed himself up in his room to continue to write out from memory the notes he needed for his research.

Days three and four consisted of more extensive hand-to-hand training, which went surprisingly well in both the cases of trainer and trainee. Albus had mastered his martial arts training some years before and found it easy to instruct on the subject, and Shanoa took to his instructions with ease.

On day five, Albus was asked by his pupil if he mixed any glyphs with martial arts, to which he obliged by demonstrating a unique move that he referred to as his Quadruple _Ignis_ spinkick. Shanoa's eyebrows raised at the signature move that he demonstrated, and a small voice at the back of her mind muttered that he had no business being so damn flexible. She shook her head as if to rid herself of such thoughts, and yet asked aloud if he had always been so... 'nimble'. Albus missed the meaning of the question and merely replied that he had to work hard to push _Ignis_ to a fourth level. ...Which did nothing to ease the descent of Shanoa's mindset.

Days six, seven and eight were basic sword practice with blunted swords borrowed from the smithy. Although Albus was quite rusty when it came to using swords, he managed to get the point across. Pun intended. Those three evenings were more often than not spent in the infirmary being patched up by a rather disgruntled Abram. Not that the healer was ever anything but put-off.

Day nine was a well-earned break. Until Marcel insisted to Albus he needed an escort to the Tymeo Mountains to see if he could spot the legendary Yeti and snap a photo of it. About half way to their destination, the journalist found himself tuckered out and bailed on the idea. Albus smiled to himself and said nothing as they had not cleared Ruvas Forest before his charge had metaphorically thrown in the towel.

Day ten was spent indoors at the infirmary due to rain, wherein a lecture on the finer points of channeling glyph magic was given. It would have made old man Barlowe proud how Albus parroted his former master's explanations, even though the words conjured rising anger within him, "We tap the power in all things, great and small, to forge Glyphs through Ecclesia's secret art. And so we gain the strength to save mankind."  
The better part of that evening was spent enjoying tea and conversation in the hospice's kitchen. Albus dodged most questions and Shanoa persisted that he tell her more about himself. Things like his interests outside of academia, and any of 'the little things' that he appreciated. Eventually Albus admitted that he was easily contented with a good book and a cup of tea, but Shanoa had already figured that out for herself in the past week so she pressed him for another fact and was pleased to hear that he was fond of scenic views.

Day eleven was a recap of everything that had been covered, with Shanoa excelling through it all. Their unarmed sparring session had gone on for a long while, with them causing enough of a ruckus to draw some of the villagers over to watch them. The scene before them was quite unreal to behold as they had never seen such swift-moving human beings before. Albus moved much quicker than Shanoa but her every move was deliberate and precise; she waited for the right moment to strike if he flitted about too much and would block his hits until she found an opening in which to strike back. She had known that he had pulled his punches at the start, but with each full-forced hit that she landed on him he became increasingly irritated, and finally tossed aside his notions of chivalry to strike at her with his full power. They were of about the same strength in the end, if only because she had trained her butt off in the past. The body she possessed had been honed into a lithe and lean fighting vessel; a fact that she loved more and more every day.  
When she called a hold to catch her breath, after what would have been a very forceful double knockout had they each been paying less attention, they finally noticed their small audience who applauded their exposition of skill and speed.  
Shanoa hit the pillow hard that night, being so tired that she skipped out on one of Irina's desserts. Albus otherwise fiddled with one of the books of Dominus, noting that it exuded a lot of its power out in the open. He would have to seal the book somehow or finally figure out how to junction it with himself safely so that it would stop radiating it's power so intensely. Laboring long into the night he managed to conjure up an old cloaking spell on to a leather satchel that could mask magical properties. But the books of Dominus were too powerful to be dampened more than 'only slightly'.

On day twelve, Shanoa was requested to escort Jacob the shopkeeper to another village a few hours away so that he could trade and replenish his supplies. Albus resisted the idea at first but was convinced by Shanoa that she would be fine and that it would be a good measure of her abilities. And if anything happened, she and Jacob would hasten back via his Magical Ticket items. Thankfully the precautionary measure was unnecessary as the warrior and her charge had an uneventful journey aside from him regaling her with stories about the places Jacob had traveled to in his younger days.

Day thirteen was a hasty lesson in petrify and other status effects. Albus explained that he would encase Shanoa in an immobilizing Torpor crystal and she would have to try to break free.  
"By the way," He said, turning slightly as he loaded the Torpor bullet cartridge into the back of Agartha. "Apologies if you get cursed."  
Shanoa's eyebrows raised but she remained quiet. The amber crystals that subsequently encased her felt cold, and she felt herself start to panic a little and gasp for breath as if she were being suffocated.  
"Try to relax," Her instructor soothed, his hands flat against on her crystalline prison. She did as much, calming her breathing and focusing her thoughts on her hands. Though she wiggled her whole body as hard as she could, she felt as though she were making no leeway whatsoever. Albus told her she was doing fine and told her to keep moving. Finally after no small amount of effort, the Torpor spell shattered away and she stood on her feet again.

By day fourteen, Shanoa insisted she was ready to absorb a glyph. Her prior successful solo mission had brought an air of confidence to her and she seemed to stand taller, having more purpose in her stride when she walked. And when she requested that Albus let her have a glyph, her voice and her expression were quite determined.

With a frown, Albus produced a small leather-bound book from his personal inventory and explained that it was a glyph catalogue. Rather, it was a nearly-empty catalogue but all the same it could hold and release glyphs at its users' command. It was something that Barlowe had created and had given to Albus as a gift when he had taken on the role of Chief Engineer. In the space between himself and Shanoa, he begrudgingly conjured a select glyph, dutifully saying 'Absorb the glyph, if you would'. Her attempt went over only slightly well, with Albus regretting every second of the aftermath. Perhaps a regular _Confodore_ instead of the much stronger _Vol Confodore_ glyph would have been the smarter choice, but part of him had wanted to rush her into the stronger glyphs just in case.

Once the glyph disappeared into the large rune on Shanoa's back, she fought to control the surging powers within her.

Albus stood before her, arms crossed, voice low and patient as he verbally guided her through the ordeal. "Close your eyes and focus on commanding that power."

Sucking in a sharp breath and holding it, Shanoa closed her eyes. The darkness of her inner mind showed a red, snaking coil of magic. A ethereal manifestation of her hand reached out to grab it and her eyes snapped open, her face showing a look that dared anyone to test her mettle.

"Got it." She confirmed as she righted herself into a more steady stance. "A rapier glyph?"

"When you absorb glyphs you'll find out what they are - if we don't already have them recorded in my catalogue." Albus let out a breath in relief, but Shanoa's expectant gaze made him a little uncomfortable. "…That'll be enough for today, I think. You are now armed."

"Please. My duty is clear." By her tone, she was not asking. "I'm not done yet."

Growing a little exasperated at her persistence, Albus gave her an incredulous look, which was met with a defiant smirk. Sighing, he continued. "Direct the glyph's power towards your arms." He granted her a moment to focus and comply - the markings on her shoulders glowing once she had done so. "So armed, you can wield Glyphs against your foes."

"Very well. Let's begin." Shanoa hesitated a single moment before settling herself into a battle stance. She considered her words enough fair warning, and summoned a magical red rapier to her left hand while striking out towards Albus. Not quite prepared, as it was supposed to be his call when a sparring match was to begin, he winced and used Rapidus Fio's power to back-dash out of striking distance. The sound of the rapier slicing through the air did however make him smile at the strength behind Shanoa's strike.

"Very good." Albus mused, straightening visibly. "Now meld the Glyphs in both your arms - Glyph Unions may yet catch you by surprise."

Taking a took a moment to concentrate on summoning a rapier to each hand, Shanoa made a sound of effort as she combined the two into one strike, glowing in unison in a quick-striking slash, the power erupting into red petals that faded in the aftershock.

"How romantic." Albus teased as he observed the glyph artistry, then laughed out loud due to Shanoa's brow furrowing at his comment. "All right, let's find you something to fight."

It was not long before they found proper targets deeper in Ruvas Forest; two Bone Scimitars and an Axe Knight in a small clearing. Perfect practice.

Albus crouched low, effectively minimizing his visibility to their foes. He gestured for Shanoa to do the same and she complied, kneeling next to him and assessed the situation. "Use everything you have learned and stand your ground." He whispered, one arm drawing across to her far shoulder. He gave her a gentle tug and she scooted a little closer to him. "You have nothing to fear."

Though her eyes were still transfixed on her quarry, she nodded at his words of encouragement before she advanced rapidly on the two shield-bearing skeletons. Each crumbled under her swift strikes and she then turned her attention to the Axe Knight. Heavily armored, it was slow and predictable and she easily dodged its thrown weapons, circling around to strike at what she presumed was a weak spot, between the helm and breastplate. Her blow did some damage, to which she frowned and found herself ducking to avoid a thrown axe that had boomeranged back towards her. She kept an eye out for the second one that had been thrown - almost too late, as it was on course to clip her left shoulder. Thankfully it was shot out of the air by her back-up. That had been too close. Giving herself a mental jab, she then conjured a glyph union to enable her to cause enough damage to dismantle her remaining enemy in one final strike.  
The task finished, she sighed and sunk to the ground. The adrenaline in her system was still coursing and she found that she kind of liked the rush. And the battle spoils, for there was an anti-venom and a magical ticket within reach of where she sat. The sound of rustling grass to her right got her guard up, but she relaxed when Albus appeared next to her.

"I recall you being a great deal more graceful than that." He mused, but was concentrating on something in the air. "Look, an _Ascia_ glyph."

Glancing down at her, he brandished his glyph catalogue with the intent to transcribe the glyph into the book in order to preserve it, and possibly harness it at a later time. Shanoa nodded in agreement with his plan and watched as the red glyph with its intricate axe design was sucked towards the book in Albus's hand, then it disappeared in a flash of light.

Training complete, the duo headed back to Wygol village.

* * *

The events of the day over and done with, Albus retired to his room at the infirmary. Loosening his ascot, he approached the desk against the far wall and flipped through the book he had left open earlier on in the day. It was a simple account of magical practices in the area, mostly charms and cloaking spells - nothing that really helped him with his research or his bigger problem at hand: the books of Dominus. They were not exuding too much of their power from their place in an enchanted satchel, but he would still have to seal the books properly, or put them someplace secluded to ensure the safety of the villagers. The dark energy that the powerful tomes gave off was more than enough to draw the attention of nearby enemies.

With a yawn and a scratch to the side of his neck he closed the book and sat down at the chair that faced the desk. Another yawn escaped as he leaned over to unlace the brown leather spats that covered his shoes. The door to his room quietly opened and he glanced up to see who might be disturbing him at such an hour.

It was whom he had expected, though he had not anticipated that she would come bearing a devilish grin and a bottle of alcohol.

"Contraband." Shanoa leaned in the doorway, holding up a dark bottle of something that was very likely home brewed. She held it out towards him and gave it a little shake in emphasis. "To celebrate my triumphant return."

With a light frown Albus waved a hand for her to bring her 'offering' forward. "What did you find and who is going to miss it?"

"It was in the old storage cellar. I don't think anyone's going to mind." Came the direct reply, and a near-childlike scrambling to sit on the cot across from him, watching with interest while also expecting praise for her efforts.

"Let's hope it's still good," Albus pulled the cork out of the bottle and took a sniff of the contents, doing his best not to make a face. His eyes nearly watered at the strong, wafting scent of strong, distilled fruit brandy. "Ach… good job. You found pálinka!"

Shanoa leaned forward a bit, raising her eyebrows. "Shall we?"

"Ah, I never could stomach Carpathian home-brew," Her companion admitted, handing the both the bottle and the loose cork back to her.

"Come on." She narrowed her eyes at him, preparing to take a sip. "Master Albus can't handle a little…" She went silent after taking a good swig, one eye twitching ever so slightly before she swallowed the mouthful of liquid. Straightening up, she looked at him, a single tear rolling down her face in betrayal of the intense burning sensation in her esophagus.

With a smile, Albus leaned forward and took the bottle from her hands. He laughed quietly and explained to her before taking a tiny taste, "If it's any consolation, it doesn't burn as much the second time."

* * *

A good night's rest later, Albus decided to himself that it was time to start gathering other sources of information for his research on the true nature of Dominus. The few menial books that he had brought with him had only gotten him so far restarting his thesis. The rest of his work was back in his old quarters, and it was far too risky to attempt a raid on Ecclesia.  
During the light breakfast that he and Shanoa had managed to put together themselves, he mulled over in his thoughts about where else he could get his hands on other alchemy and magic sources, without walking a dark path in which to obtain them. The biggest dilemma was that he still had not completely sealed the two pieces of Dominus away, but at least their radiating power had dulled substantially. It was not enough though - if he kept the pieces in Wygol any longer he would be putting Shanoa and the villagers in danger.  
A vague memory struck him, something about an old monastery being the first home of the Ecclesians before their order was jump-started into the successful organisation it had become. Perhaps some abandoned older volumes of their works were still there? Granted, they would be outdated but would still be viable. The next questions he had were whether there would be anything of use even left in the old place, and if the monastery still existed. For all he knew, the new cathedral could have been built over top the old building.

"Hey, what's going on in that head of yours?" Shanoa asked quietly, having grown tired of the silence between them. That and her porridge was absolutely terrible, so any excuse not to eat it was quite a welcome distraction.

"Huh?" Albus jolted a little, shaking out of his mental trance once he finally registered that he was being addressed. "Apologies. Just thinking about my research." When she asked if he had any luck, he shook his head and frowned, spooning at his own breakfast.  
"Essentially, I have to start from square one. The information that I need isn't easily obtained, and I am loathe to admit that I have to search for new avenues."

"A shame." Shanoa replied airily while standing from her seat. Stepping over to the hearth, dishcloth in hand, she grabbed the water kettle which had just started to boil, and asked Albus if he had any leads on where to look. When he replied that he had a small lead to a abandoned place of worship, she offered to help him in any way that she could. He thanked her in kind, watching her as she fixed up some tea for them, smiling a little at the shabby and yet well-loved tea set that resided in the infirmary's kitchen.

Quietly, Albus stated what he needed of her. "I need you to stay here and defend the village."

"You just don't want me to get in your way." Shanoa countered, placing a cup of steeping loose tea before her companion. The glare she received from him changed her tune a little. "...Or you don't want me getting hurt again."

Expression all a mix of exasperation and irritated, the last thing Albus wanted was to fly off the handle on her unnecessarily. But that didn't stop him from being brusque about her allegations. "Maybe so. But if I didn't think you could not handle defending these people... I wouldn't have asked. You're strong and stubborn, after all."

Sitting across from him again with her own cup, she went silent for a few moments as she stared at the tea leaves. "Please don't leave me here alone with these people." She whispered , eyes hesitantly fixing on Albus.

"They're good folk." He offered, leaning across the table to place a hand on an adjacent forearm of hers in a gesture of support. "Perhaps a bit on the needy side,"

"I know," She paused and looked away from the table. "but they regard me with awe and fear."

Nodding, Albus let out a long breath while sitting back in his chair. Covering his face with his hands he leaned his head back a bit, sighed, and said nothing more.

Shanoa's very demeanour changed into something almost meek and foreign. "Things only feel normal when I'm around you." Though she was matter-of-fact in her otherwise emotionless tone, she would not look at him directly.

Albus opened his eyes and moved his hands away from his face to look at her curiously.

"Sometimes I lie awake at night and I just feel… hopeless and alone, even though I know you're just down the hall." Her voice would have been nervous otherwise but the only hint of such a feeling was shown by the simple act of her gripping her warm teacup tightly with both hands. "When we're training, or talking, or just even in the same room, everything feels like it might be okay."

"Is that so?" He asked, his expression softening and a smile that he did not catch in time betrayed the warmth her sentiments had brought him.

Shanoa stared at him in wonder, never really having seen him smile so genuinely and openly. It was a rare, unguarded moment that she wanted to commit to memory forever. Once he caught himself and tried to mask his emotions, she realized she had been gawking a bit, both of their obvious recoveries made for an awkward silence between them, and then a bit of laughter from Albus which in turn made Shanoa force a smile.

"I suppose we'd better get to finding out where to look for this old monastery." She asked, taking a sip of her still-too-hot tea. Ouch.

Albus iterated his assumption that Father Nikolai might have an idea, for men of the cloth usually had a good grasp on surrounding places of worship. Another matter was that the researcher would likely need at most a day to properly glean through a standing building. Less time if it was rubble and ashes. He also mentioned that it was likely going to be boring as all hell to Shanoa as she had never been much for studying. Flatly, Shanoa teased that perhaps she would take to it a bit better since she had 'turned over a new leaf'. Though the joke was both deprecating and in poor taste, Albus could not help but laugh at her attempt to lighten the mood .

When they had finished breakfast and tidied after themselves they checked in with Father Nikolai at the church, who seemed pleased that the two newcomers were rapidly shaping up to be a pair of dependable fighters.

"God brought us all here, and bid us to build these homes in this place. He's provided for us ever since, even in our darkest hours." The priest mused aloud, and added that he was sure that both young adults had been guided to Wygol by divine purpose as well.

Father Nikolai was always pleasant but he grew visibly hesitant after Albus and Shanoa stated their intentions to leave town for a few days in search of information to aid their plight. Though he gave them an idea of where to look on the map, Nikolai admitted that he felt certain there was a lingering presence in Ruvas Forest that might threaten to overtake the village if the two of them left without assessing the situation first.

"It seems legends of Dracula existed here long before I laid a single brick. Still, I never imagined those legends would come to life." The elderly clergyman was a shepherd to his flock and did the work of his god; his compassionate expression compelled the two youths to accept his request to hold off on their research in order to help the village.

Although it felt good to help others, the pair of warriors were a bit deflated as they left the small church. Albus muttered that if he had known, he would have just slept in that morning. Shanoa nodded and agreed. The rest of the waking day was spent reviewing attacks and stances, with an impromptu nap under one of the trees skirting their training spot.  
When evening finally fell, they made their way into the depths forest. Shanoa was a bit tense at first but relaxed after a while. She was ready for battle but was still a tiny bit apprehensive. The other test would be moving in her old armor and battle dress for she had gotten quite used to the form fitting 'battle nun' outfit.

The 'disturbance' turned out to be a small necromantic cult summoning creatures from beyond the grave. There were four in total, and as they were mortal beings, they were easy to dispatch. One was even 'kind' enough to produce a _Fidelis Caries_ glyph, which allowed for summoning loyal zombies.  
Albus identified the glyph as a summon-type, pulling out the book that he had used the day before to absorb the axe glyph. He asked Shanoa if she was interested in using it, as it was a passive glyph that would junction to her back markings. She thought about it a moment and then declined. Albus mused quietly about not letting it fall into the wrong hands before using the book to absorb the loose glyph.

Taking a different route in returning to Wygol, they came across an old statue half-buried in the ground that emanated an aura of magic. Shanoa tested her rapier union on the statue, shattering it with one blow, to reveal a _Macir_ hammer glyph encased within. She absorbed it, for inflicting future cases of blunt force trauma.

Upon returning to the village infirmary, Albus busied his wide-awake self with stretching the magical properties of his inventory belt pouch to link with a small velvet bag he had procured. The process was a little tedious, as he had little practical application in copying and warping spell properties of enchanted items, but he did manage to make the two items cooperate and connect to the same pocket-dimension. Shanoa sat with him through the experiment, watching in silent awe at the process and when he handed her the small drawstring bag, she thanked him and headed off to get some rest.

They each managed a couple hours of sleep before they begrudgingly dragged themselves to the church after daybreak to explain their findings to Father Nikolai. Shanoa was half-asleep and Albus had taken his coffee along with him.

"Thank you very much!" Nikolai exclaimed, positively beaming at the two overtired youths. He was sure that they had 'rescued every last soul in town' and said as much before pausing a moment. "...their tribulations still weigh heavily upon their hearts... Would you speak with them, and help to lift their spirits?"

Albus immediately knew where this was going. Fetch quests.

* * *

"SAGE! " Abram shouted in agitation. Which was very much uncalled for. "I need Sage. So find it, and bring it here! And then we'll see who trusts who, won't we? Ha, ha, ha! So GO, and find me more materials, I command it! THEN, only then, will I trust you enough to thank you!"

Rather than say 'you don't get out much' as he was so very tempted, Albus furrowed his brow and shook his head. He was starting to regret having disturbed the healer during an arduous herb distilling process. "No, no, none of that 'get me this and then I'll send you right back out for something else' stuff. Write down a list of everything you need to get your supplies stocked and I'll keep an eye out for everything."

The other man frowned, having gone back to adding drops of one tincture into a beaker of another liquid. " S'gonna be a tall order." It was apparent that he was none to keen about the shift of power that was happening - a likely possibility being that he was preferential to micro-managing. "Wouldn't it be easier on you if you just hauled back one thing at a-"

"No." Albus returned firmly, not budging. A minute later he received a list of necessary supplies; sage, chamomile and rue, sage and mandragora root, sage and merman meat. He darkly muttered 'Huh - I wonder if he needs sage' under his breath while leaving the infirmary.

A moment later Irina approached him, her children accompanying her. "Mister Albus, I heard you're collecting requests?"

"I suppose I am now, Madame Irina. Did you need something?"

"I actually wanted to ask you a favour." Irina admitted to Albus with an impish smile. "...It's rather complicated, I'm afraid. You see, some crows have been running amok around here lately. I wonder if there's a nest. Anyway, they're so vicious. Always peck-peck-pecking and swooping at people... Could you get rid of, I don't know, 30 of them? It'd be a big help."

"Thirty crows for Irina." Albus mumbled aloud while scribbling it down in his field notebook. He glanced at Anna who shook her head in decline, then pointed at the oddly quiet Serge with his quill. "How about you, good sir?"

"Um…You ever see an Owl? " The boy paused for a moment. "'Cause I hear it's good luck if you see one, and I think I could use some good luck, just in case. So if you see an Owl, could you bring it over?"

"One Owl." Albus wrote, then underlined it. "Maybe it can help with the crow problem."

"Thanks! I owe you." With a polite wave, Irina turned and ushered her kids back home, leaving Albus standing alone in the village square.

At least until Marcel the journalist approached and engaged him in conversation. With one eyebrow raised, he acted as if he had been slighted. "So here's a question: Why would the head office put a TOTAL press ban on my story about you folks? "

Albus frowned slightly. So much for keeping things quiet. "What exactly did you say?"

"I might have, uh, skipped you and just wrote about your friend." Marcel paused a moment, then sounded more self-assured. "A beautiful witch-and please don't take offense; she's gorgeous, I have to say. 'Beautiful Witch Entrances Remote Village!'" His hand gestures had swept dramatically in front of him, as if putting the heading of his article in the air for all to see.

With a smirk, Albus informed him that nice witches were not nearly as interesting to read about as mean ones. Then Marcel's follow-up question regarded the magic that he and Shanoa used, to which Albus was not going to give away secrets on glyph magic. Flatly, he stated that it was nothing special.

It did nothing to curb the rather intrusive interest.

"...On a totally unrelated note, how about you and me strike a little deal?" The journalist offered, handing him an advanced-looking camera "...I leave you and your magic alone, scrap my story, and you take me some pictures for a different story instead."

"Very well, but please credit them under a pen name."

"Sure. -You ever hear of the Cave Troll? It's a hairy beast that sucks your blood clean out! Track it down and snap a picture or two for me. Careful-it's skittish!" He then mentioned that if he could also get a shot of the super-shy Yeti and the violent Jersey Devil, he would pay extra.

Albus knew a little about operating cameras, which caused him a little bit of confusion in regards to the plausibility of the request. "That won't work with a long exposure time."

"Not my problem! I just write this stuff."

Albus sighed.

Meanwhile, Shanoa had been temporarily accosted by George the composer. He was a well-groomed gentleman in his mid thirties, bespectacled and wore rich, dark colours, accented with a white cravat and burgundy velvet coat.

"Your timing is impeccable!" George called to her, beckoning her over. "For I have just composed an ode to terror! And now, I shall record it for all time, upon this-my friend's phonograph! Lend your ears, as I play upon this...this…" He stopped his vocal display of grandeur once she approached, as he had realized something. "...This broken violin. That I forgot was broken. Oh, damn it all. Ahem! Would you kindly procure me some Horse Hair, that I might make a new bow?"

"If I come across some, consider it yours, sir."

"And…The banshee's wail is said to be an omen of death. Far too dangerous to risk recording... unless you care to volunteer!" He handed her a surprisingly compact phonograph. "You'll be fine, I'm sure!"

She nodded and asked if he could think of anything else that would aid his composing, to which he added that a quill and some ink would be beneficial, ones far superior to the mundane supplies found at the general store. He insisted that 'no ordinary quill can express the tortured soul of a true artist', afterwards making the mistake of adding that he did not expect her to understand. Furrowing her brow, Shanoa fought to keep from punching him in the mouth. With their business conducted (and him having sensed her distaste), George wished her 'good day' and swept back to his abode in a grandiose manner.

Heading to her originally-planned destination, Shanoa visited the home of the village elder: the matron Daniella, a wise but rather senile woman in her eighties. Daniella was quite happy to have company - never mind that it was a stranger. She opened the door wide and bade her guest to come inside.

"Oh, you came. I'm so happy. I was about to bake a cake. Make yourself at home."

Shanoa paused a moment, unsure. "Thank you, but I-"

"My Grandfather and I would always bake together. That man loved sweets. Especially in the middle of a good, old-fashioned monster hunt."

The younger woman glanced at her, eyes widening briefly. "Monster hunt? You mean-!?"

"Nothing better than the view from atop the Lighthouse after an epic battle. I'd love to see that horizon again... Say, you do draw?" Even though Shanoa tried to insist she didn't draw, Daniella simply smiled and passed her a bound book of blank paper. "I'll give you a sketchbook. When you get to the top, draw the view for me. There's still time until the cake is done baking. Come back then."

Mutely, Shanoa accepted the sketchbook and tucked it under her arm as she exited the residence. She wasn't even sure if she could draw…

Elsewhere, after dealing with the journalist, Albus ducked into Aeon's restaurant to see if the chef had any pressing needs.

"Welcome! I've been waiting for you. All day, just twiddling my thumbs. Ahem! I'd love to cook for you, but I need some supplies! Why don't I go myself? Because I'm the chef. Why should you go get it? Because you're not a chef. That's how things work. Well, get to work, then. My kitchen's going to waste without you!"

Another tic of irritation found its way to Albus's forehead. "How about a full ingredient list? Saves everyone time."

"Oh, right… Just a second…" Chef Aeon disappeared into the kitchen, to which clattering pots were heard and the occasional shuffling of plates and containers. There was a moment of silence before he came back out to the main dining area and handed Albus a grocery list. It read; salt, raw killer fish, tasty meat, and a thick steak.

'A bit vague' Albus thought, but he could certainly work with it.

In the meantime, Shanoa checked in at the armory. Eugen glanced at her and promptly returned to his work, telling her that her armor was shabby and that if she brought him three iron ore they could talk shop. She took mental note of his direct manner and decided to ask if there were other materials he required. He begrudgingly informed her that silver and gold ore would be beneficial if she could find them. It would be a win-win situation as he always paid his suppliers. Shanoa agreed to this, and asked if he would be willing to share his story with her.

The blacksmith frowned, looking down at the piece he had just finished hammering. "…Father Nikolai saved my life way back when. I asked him how to pay that debt, and he just said, 'Do what you can.' So, here I am, just doing what I can, where I am, with what I have. You do what you can, too. And if you run into trouble again, come see me."

Shanoa nodded, thanking him politely and then heading to her last stop - which she would regret with a passion afterwards.

Upon entering Laura's workshop, the jeweler greeted her and immediately gave her a visual once-over. "You know, you dress like you're in mourning. Waste of a finely shaped-"

"Enough of that, thank you." Shanoa's eyes narrowed while she put up a hand in a mild gesture of warning.

"Well, sorry if I'm out of line, but hear me out, here. A little accessorizing would go a long way, don't you think?" Laura gave a short laugh of amusement at the other woman's forming expression of confusion. "Bring over any gems you come across in your travels and I'll show you what I mean."

Likewise up at Monica's shop, Albus found himself at his wits end.

"Ha! Look at poor little Monica. Can't do a thing without someone else to bring her materials." When the seamstress started to self-depreciate she was effectively silenced by the tall male, who had enough of her negative rambling by that point. He put his hands on the sides of her face and drew daringly close.

"Monica… just… shut up for a second and listen. You can do this." He said quietly, pressing her cheeks lightly with his hands and purposely giving her a sly smile. "Now think of what materials you need and write it down. It'll be less of a hassle overall for everyone if you do this. Understand?"

As she was released from the intimate hold, she brought her hands up to her face and blushed. "If you think I can, then, I'll do my best."

Quite frustrated by that point, Albus found himself screaming internally as he exited the small store and headed to procure some needed items from Jacob's general store.  
When he regrouped with Shanoa outside the infirmary, her own stated sentiment of 'let's get the hell out of here' spoke volumes about how ready she was to take a holiday from their kind-but-needy allies.


	5. The Monastery

The trek through the North-Eastern expanse of Ruvas forest during the day turned out to be less eventful as it had been the previous evening. It was just as well, for both fighters were keen on preserving their strength for as long as possible. They had heard from the villagers that any wayfarers in the forest would find themselves in another world. Adorable. Local legend lore also hinted that the monastery they searched for was rumoured to have fallen to plague and debauchery, falling into disrepair once most of the inhabitants had left. Which was a considerably good cover story if it were indeed the first home of Ecclesia. And there was more that might complicate matters; a variety of riffraff and undesirables, human and otherwise, had taken refuge within the monastery's once-holy walls.

Hours passed by in their fruitless search, when the duo happened across a section of forest that was not as densely populated by trees. The area showed signs of past human habitation, as evident by weathered tree stumps and overgrown paths through the brushes. Following the old trails, they eventually came across a stone building ravaged by time and partially reclaimed by the forest. It looked as though it had been built in the medieval ages as per the arrow slats in the front towers that sat to either side of the broken entry way.

"I imagine this is it." Shanoa stated dryly, though she looked upon the masonry with some interest. Her companion nodded and gestured towards the doorway with a 'shall we' query.

The first floor corridor was similar to the cathedral halls of Ecclesia, but the architecture was the only similarity; for bones, broken furniture, and unidentifiable matter littered the halls. Making the ominous environment 'even better' was by means of an event taking place once they had stepped foot from the entrance landing: four piles of bones reformed into skeletons that immediately moved to attack the intruders.  
The skeletons were dispatched easily enough by rapier strikes and regular flintlock rounds, allowing the two fighters to quickly press on into the next room to find a stairwell and an adjoining chamber to the right. Said chamber turned out to house another skeleton and few zombies that proved to be of little consequence. The final room on the first floor was home to an oddly-shaped fountain. Neither of the two knew its function, so they decided to leave it be for the moment.

Traversing the stairs to the second floor yielded a few pesky bats and yet another skeleton. On the second floor, Shanoa managed to catch a banshee's wail on George's borrowed phonograph. Afterward, they found a red chest sitting at the back of the room and opened it up to take a look. Much to their chagrin it contained leather sandals. Shanoa looked quite discontent as she closed the lid of the trunk.  
Continuing on, the duo battled through another corridor of skeletons before coming to a dead end as the stairwell to the third floor was in a bad state.

Albus surveyed the situation, knowing he would have no problem traversing it, but Shanoa was another matter.

"Hey, what's this?" Shanoa asked aloud suddenly, prompting her partner to pull himself out of his thoughts and look over at an interesting-looking contraption that she pointed out.

"Magnetized." Albus mused aloud, then pulled out his glyph catalogue. The metal struts were of polished metal and he assumed that they might be polarized. "I think I have a something for you."

Conjuring a glyph called _Magnes_, he cast it into the open space before them, explaining to Shanoa that she could use it to create a magnetic field as well as use it to generate kinetic energy in which to travel.

Studying the glyph for a moment, Shanoa then took in a steadying breath, turned her back to the glyph and prepared to draw it in. Once she had absorbed it, she mentally set it to its proper place and gazed at the lowest strut.  
Sensing her apprehension, Albus offered to go on ahead a little ways so as to offer her a hand should she need it. She was appreciative but could not help wishing she could do as he did; easily vaulting upwards to the next segment of the broken staircase.

The first use of the _Magnes_ glyph started off a bit shaky, as Shanoa nearly stuck to the strut upside-down. Clutching her breastplate tightly against her, she righted herself and then used the magnetic momentum to boost herself up to the next partition of stairwell, gaining a nod from Albus, who had offered a hand but had retracted it when she had successfully 'adhered' to the second magnet.  
He vaulted up to the third one, going through the same motions as Shanoa followed suit. There was a fourth alcove above them, which was not part of the direct route to the third floor as the entryway lay behind them. He asked if they out to check it out, to which his companion nodded in reply. Again he vaulted upwards.  
Shanoa overshot her momentum at the wrong angle and shot past Albus, nearly having taken him out had he not ducked out of the way. Skidding to a halt near the doorway, she managed to remain on her feet but did lean forward to breathe in a sigh of relief on a chest she had nearly collided into. And once opened, within lay a cotton hat. Picking it up, Albus laughed and plunked it down on Shanoa's head, causing her to frown and shove the headpiece back into the chest.

In the next room a variety of spirits that resembled disembodied horse heads angrily flew about. Albus surmised that they were like representations of warhorses that had fallen in battle. They turned out to be more pesky than anything.  
Yet another chest was within view, but out of Shanoa's jump range, and nothing to latch on with _Magnes_. Albus was kind enough to provide his services, being rewarded with a ring engraved the Fool. And while he did not find it funny in the slightest, it put a smirk on Shanoa's face. She asked to see it, and when she put it on she felt her strength drain a little - but for whatever reason she felt luckier. Upon discussing the effects it had on her, they decided it best to move it to their inventory and have Laura examine it at a later time.

There was a scuffling sound in the otherwise quiet room, and a faint meowing somewhere below them. After defeating another banshee, Shanoa crouched down by a section of floor that had been uprooted and peered in to see a frantic-looking white cat. It mewed again, and she crawled in to retrieve it, listening to Albus's advice to let it smell her hand first before she picked it up. Cradling the cat against one shoulder, she noticed another chest under the rubble and decided to see what kind of garment lay inside. An odd blue vial lay inside, which she grabbed and handed to Albus after she crawled back out of the rubble. Dusting herself off with her free hand, Shanoa then reached into the pouch on her belt and felt around for one of the magical tickets they had on hand.

"Someone should be able to find this cat a good home." She said, waving the piece of paper for a moment before she set the cat on the floor and held out the ticket to the feline, trying to get it to bite it. Finally it did, after being aggravated enough by her waving it around as though it were a sentient creature. Thus, the cat was transported to Wygol Village.

There was another room to explore; guarded by a lone skeleton knight wearing pieces of armor and brandishing a sword and shield. Once defeated it was kind enough to drop a _Secare_, or sword, glyph.  
Shanoa acted on that one, drawing it in and feeling that it had a bit more power than her rapier glyph. When she struck outward with _Secare_, she was surprised to see that it manifested as a blue sword. She stepped forward and glyph-unioned into the empty space before them, surprised at the size of the massive, embellished blade that she summoned. Blinking in surprise, a satisfied smile appeared on her face. But then she noticed something odd about the far wall. She had nicked it for sure, but it seemed to reform. Rather, blocks fell from the ceiling and replaced what she had knocked away.

Also having picked up on the phenomenon, Albus studied the wall a moment and then cast his Optical Shot - a light and dark spell projectile - that spiralled into the wall and cleaved a path through it. A tingle of glyph energy struck them both, but faded when more blocks filled the void that the spell shot had made.

"Ah, forget it." Shanoa muttered, feeling that it was not going to be a particularly useful glyph to obtain.

Returning to the entrance to the third floor in the stairwell, the pair readied themselves for the next wave of skeletons. However, the immediate room turned out to be an elaborate alchemy lab. Filled with a horde of zombies.  
Warily, Albus instructed that they were not to allow themselves to be touched by that manner of adversary, for they might become infected or cursed and join their ranks. Shanoa frowned at the thought, readying herself to drop her huge sword on the lot of them. The duo then stepped forward and combined their attacks of Optical Shot and _Secare_ Union to effortlessly defeat the advancing enemies.

With an impressed whistle, Albus took a good look around the lab, stating that the contents of the room were likely one of the major causes of heresy that the rumours had talked about. But it was also a step in the right direction in regards to whether or not Ecclesia may have had a start in the very same place.  
He took some time to look at the books that the room had to offer, which after about ten minutes started to bore Shanoa. When she insisted that she wanted to explore the place a bit more, he asked that she not stray too far. The comment got her ire up a bit and she firmly told him that she was not a child.

Albus chuckled to himself, flipping through an intermediate alchemy book. "I know. But I would be grateful if you could guard me while I focus on these books?"

Shanoa regarded him for a moment, pretty sure he was pacifying her with his well-worded request, and decided that she would fight him on his over-protectiveness at a later time. "I've got your back. You can count on that."

He smiled and repeated 'I know', adding that he knew he was in good hands.

While Albus continued to pocket select books, a statue in the middle of the room piqued Shanoa's interest when she wandered around. She approached it, placed a hand on it, noting that it looked a lot like the statue they had encountered in Ruvas Forest that had a similar magical aura about it. Using her powers to shatter it, she frowned upon seeing what looked to be a knife glyph. Having finished up his scavenging, Albus drew the unwanted glyph into his catalogue and identified it as _Culter_, before they moved onward again.

The room connected to the alchemy lab looked a lot like the first and second floor hallways, boasting more broken furniture, many ghosts and a banshee. Interestingly enough, there was a gold plated chest in the middle of the room, up on a ledge. Shanoa's expression flattened as she went to examine it, for she expected something of ill use to their quest. She was half right, as the only item inside was a light blue tome with the title 'Book of Spirits' printed on front, embellished with the figure of an angel.  
Albus asked to see it, to which she handed the relic over. He opened it up and nodded a bit upon reading the notes on many types of enemies that had been spotted across the land. He figured it could come in handy, so he pocketed it into their reserved inventory.

Through sheer force of accident while striving to hit an annoying horse head ghost, they discovered a secret passage that lead to another alchemy lab. It too yielded nothing of use to Albus, especially in that there were even more ghosts and zombies within. There was however a heart-shaped container bearing red liquid within a chest at the back of the room. Adding it to inventory, they exited the secret room and continued onward, finding even more alchemy equipment, more banshees, a skeleton warrior, and the stairwell to the fourth floor. Plus bats. But also a chest with an anti-venom bottle, a even more skeletons, and a bag of 500 gold pieces.

On the fourth floor, which seemed a little less ravaged by time and neglect, they found even more banshees, skeletons, and another horde of zombies. Their spoils only yielded them another magical ticket before they reached the shattered stairwell to the fifth floor. Albus chivalrously trail blazed again, but noted that Shanoa was not ascending in his direction. She aimed lower and flew towards something he could not see from his vantage point. A moment later she was back at the magnetic strut, a determined look on her face as she flew at the unseen target again. And failed.

"Everything all right?" He called, curiosity getting the better of him.

"There's a chest on a small ledge. I'm trying to get the angle right." She called back, making sounds of effort as she fired herself at the tucked-away outcrop and subsequently dropped down to the main section of flooring.

"Shanoa… just leave it."

She missed her mark again, landing with a huff. Before she could set up again for another jump, Albus tried to offer to get the chest for her but she cut him off. "-No. How else will I learn to use this glyph?"

"Fine." He exaggeratedly threw up his arms in a pretend fuss and sat on the ground, legs dangling over the edge of his section of stairwell. "Five more minutes. Then I'll be going on without you."

To pacify himself he pulled out a complimentary issue of the magazine that Marcel wrote for. He was halfway through an article on the finer points of cricket when Shanoa came shooting upward and landed on her feet next to him. She gave a triumphant look and handed over a bottle that was different from the other two odd ones they had come across.

The final floor boasted two rooms, the one on the left housing a fountain much like the one on the first floor, causing the pair to wonder about its function. Albus theorized that they might be linked somehow. Shanoa gingerly placed her hand in the water, noting that it was quite chilly, before a large globule sprung upwards from the pool of the fountain. Both she and Albus recoiled, stepping back a few paces in case something happened. They waited a few moments and nothing happened. Shanoa shrugged, glancing at Albus, whose shoulders drooped briefly in disappointment. He then fired a regular round into the water blob, to which it shimmered and made the bullet disappear.

"I think it's best to just leave it be for now," He suggested, turning to lead the way towards the other room on the floor, which seemed to be barred by a blue door with an odd red 'eye' in the centre of it. When they were in close proximity of it, the red piece disappeared and the door opened by sliding upward.

Inside, the room looked in good order and was presumably the chapel section of the monastery. The only oddity was a large cocoon-like object on the ceiling… in which a huge monstrosity burst forth from it and advanced on them. The creature looked like a large red lobster-insect… thing, with the face of a human merged to the front of it, covered with a retractable segment of the creature's carapace.  
The two warriors' eyes went wide for a split second, then their fighting instincts took over as they readied their weapons. The monster unfolded a pair of huge pincers and lashed out at the two. Though they dodged deftly, it fired a sticky web into the air, which arced downward towards them. Albus's aversion to getting soiled overrode all other thoughts and self-preservation kicked in. He vaulted upwards to avoid the web shot, leaving Shanoa to grimace as she was webbed to the floor, rather torn between acting disgusted or angry. The creature rolled up into a ball and rolled towards her - she managed to cut herself free and use _Magnes_ on a ceiling-mounted magnetic strut to get out of the way of being flattened.

She had a moment to shoot a glare at Albus, who had firmly planted himself into the top corner of the wall and ceiling. "Thanks for the warning!"

"Sorry - I just reacted!" He called back to her, quite upset with himself.

"So, we're going to take this thing down?"

"No, we're retreating!" Albus dropped down to the floor, beckoning to her. She kept pace with him as they ran for the odd fountain, with their enemy crashing through the walls in hot pursuit. "In!" He instructed, putting an arm around her waist before they hopped in unison into the sphere. It shimmered briefly and from their watery perspective it seemed like the flash made the creature disappear. The bubble burst and they hit the floor, their surprise causing them to falter a little upon landing. Somewhere above them they heard furious crashing sounds.

"Hmph, I thought it was a teleporting device." Albus murmured to himself, but it was loud enough for his companion to hear which was a bit of a mistake on his part.

"You thought?!" Shanoa asked loudly, a bit put-off.

"Well, my theory was not wrong," He replied simply, offering no apology.

"So now what? We can't just leave that thing to cause havoc." Crossing her arms, she awaited an answer.

Coming up with an idea, Albus insisted that they wait for the creature at the entrance. They jogged down the first floor corridor and did not have to wait long for their adversary to find them. Again with the combined might of Optical Shot and _Secare_ union, they were soon triumphant - having managed it so that when the beast did fall, it blocked the entryway with its massive body. Nothing could get in or out.

"Well done." With a smile and a nod, Albus held up two magical tickets. "Shall we?"

Shanoa nodded and stepped forward to take one of the tickets, giving it a crinkle as she grasped it to activate the homing spell. When the item's magic barrier dispelled, they were both standing in the rather empty town center of Wygol, as it was the latter hours of the evening.

Not quite tired out just yet, Albus intended to hole himself up in his room at the infirmary and read as many of the books from the monastery in one sitting as he could. Perhaps an hour after he had started, Shanoa let herself into his room and insisted on keeping him company. Flopping down on the empty cot, she looked over at Albus, who was seated at the desk with the chair half turned towards the door. He noted that her hair was quite wet, likely from the bath she had excused herself for earlier. ...Did she have to get his cot wet? Honestly.  
Considering options of what Shanoa could do to occupy herself, they volleyed back and forth for a moment; training was out of the question as her sparring partner was busy with old tomes, and it was past the kid's bedtime so she couldn't play with them.

Finally, Albus gave in with a sigh. "…You may keep me company but I'm not much for talking while I research."

Shanoa flipped on to her stomach and stretched a hand out towards him. "Give me one of the non-essential ones. I can help, and it'll be something to read."

He obliged, tossing her a book without looking up from his reading.

"How about some tea?" She asked after a moment, absently flipping through a rather dull preface. That was the downside of rhetorical works, there was always at least a four page essay on the methods and the means of whatever the article hypothesized.

"Sure."

"You'll have to make it. Irina banned me from using the hearth without supervision, and Abram has returned to his home for the night."

Albus sighed, got up out of his chair and gave her a flat look in response to the grin she sported. A short time later he returned with tea fixings for two and a light snack.

The studious pair read on well into the night, both passing out somewhere after midnight. Luckily for Shanoa, she had fallen asleep face down on the cot and slept decently well. Albus had the misfortune of falling asleep at the desk and awoke with a rather sore back and a crick in his neck.

Over breakfast they gleaned the remainder of the books, not finding much else of use. There had been one book that had covered one of the subjects Albus had needed but the information had indeed been outdated and full of information he had previously committed to memory. Well, at least he had a point of reference to go off of.

Finishing her last assigned bit of reading, Shanoa noticed there was something tucked into the back of the book. The writing on the loose parchment was hard to read, both due to smudges on the page itself and the overall illegibility of the handwriting. She handed it over to Albus so he could take a look; not fairing much better. He did manage to discern that there had been a few folk from the monastery that had taken some of their more forbidden research to a prison on the small island of Minera.  
As far as he knew, most prisons in the country that weren't situated in cities had been abandoned and their prisoners either executed or transported to the modern conveniences of more 'civilized' correctional facilities.

"Well," Albus paused, taking a sip of his tea and finished the last of his toast. "How do you fancy a field trip to a dilapidated prison that once housed petty thieves and criminals forgotten by society?"

A flicker of intrigue lit up in Shanoa's eyes as she admitted that it sounded like a good excuse to get into more trouble.


	6. From Kalidus Channel to Tymeo Mountains

The information they had been given on Kalidus channel was that the weather in the area was prone to changing suddenly and violently due to strong winds from the south - which was evident when they arrived at the seashore as a storm had quickly come on and darkened the sky.

The remains of a causeway and old masonry dam lay ahead of them, large segments of it having been overtaken by the sea. There was plenty of debris and flotsam to use as stepping platforms, but Albus held fast to his footing on the edge of the stone pathway. Hopping on to what looked like the remains of a raft, Shanoa looked back at her stubborn partner and thought to herself that he looked a lot like a wet cat - scowling and hunching his posture somewhat. Then he freaked out when a wave took him by surprise and soaked him from the waist down, bolting ahead angrily and warping along the debris until he stopped in an old tunnel segment of the causeway.

Frowning, Shanoa followed suit after him, avoiding spiny needles creatures and several mermen that jumped out of the depths of the water at her. A ship in the distance caught her attention, and she noted that it was near capsizing in the storm. If it did, she might get caught up in its wreckage, so she quickened her pace. Along her way she was assaulted by a school of sea stingers that flew directly at her, and over-assessing her situation, she used her _Secare_ glyph union to clear her way.

Once inside the throughway she found Albus, who sulked a little while inspecting his shoes. "Ach, I scuffed them." He muttered aloud as she approached.

"Is that worse than being half soaked?" She stood before him and crossed her arms. After he muttered 'no' as a response she posed another question. "So you don't like getting wet? Is there a story here?"

"Not particularly." Albus glanced away, though if he were more irritated or embarrassed it was difficult to say.

"If you say so." Shanoa shook her head and pressed on past him through the remainder of their dry haven.

The rest of the trek across the remains of the causeway was about the same as the first half, wet, riddled with more Needles, Mermen, and Sea Stingers. And it was very wet - as per what Albus kept muttering about the place.

Finally they reached Minera Prison Island, home to empty cells and forsaken souls. The outside masonry of the tall perimeter walls were fairly weatherworn from years of wind and rain, but remained sturdy in their foundation. The front garrison was another matter, as the warped iron bars that looked to be the remains of a gate looked as if something had blasted its way out from inside.  
Cautiously stepping through, Shanoa scouted ahead while Albus covered their flank. A locked door lay before them, which looked a lot like the door that had sealed away the large mutated creature at the Monastery. The pair glanced at each other uncertainly, then nodded. It was time to take out another large monstrosity.

The next area was an outdoor arena, and though they took care, a searchlight homed in on them and alarm bells started ringing in the distance. Another searchlight drifted its way to a dark heap in the middle of the compound, highlighting what looked to be a large pile of bones. Once the light permeated it, it amassed into a Giant Skeleton and staggered towards them, which turned out to be surprisingly swift, for when it ducked down to grab at them, its speed was enough to cause concern.  
Albus defensively back-dashed while Shanoa opted for more of a back flip - which was a bit of a wrong choice as she took a large skeletal foot to her breastplate upon returning to a standing position. She grunted from the force of the impact, skidding back a bit and fell to one knee and braced herself up with one hand. Otherwise unharmed, she stood again and joined Albus in his assault on their large enemy.  
Noticing a few polished struts hanging up above, she used _Magnes_ to launch herself up and over the skeleton with the intent to attack it from behind while Albus kept it busy, but for whatever reason it remained fixated on her and doubled over in a back bridge, crawling after her and desperately swiping at her. She struck with a _Secare_ Union which damaged it exponentially, but was forced to retreat as a large spell - likely from Albus's _Acerbatus_ glyph - came blasting through the skeleton and nearly hit her. The Giant Skeleton stood upwards properly and roared in defeat before falling to its knees and remaining still.

"I assume you're in one piece?" Albus asked, eyeing their fallen foe as he passed it on his way over to Shanoa.

"Of course." She replied, her jaw setting in irritation at recklessness. "You didn't have to use Max Shot. I had it covered."

"Optical Shot had more probability of hitting you, honestly."

Considering the facts for a moment, Shanoa then told him 'good answer' to which he smiled roguishly at what he considered a 'win'.

Ahead on their way, they continued into a second outdoor courtyard in which Spear Guards patrolled and searchlights loomed in the distance. Albus proposed that they avoid the searchlights as much as possible, and whereas Shanoa agreed she kept to herself that she was quite curious to see what else the prison would throw out at them if they were caught in the lights again. Deftly dodging the searchlights, they stealthily dismantled the Spear Guards and Axe Knights that barred their path. And did so again as there was yet another courtyard to traverse with the same circumstances. One of the Spear Guards was kind enough to drop a _Hasta_, or lance glyph, which Shanoa immediately went to absorb. The time it took to draw it in prevented her from moving in time to avoid a searchlight that was homing in on her direction. Though she got her lance glyph, it came at the cost of the warning bells sounding again and an unholy creature spawned before them: a floating demonic head that was all levels of uncomfortable to look at. The creature only known as Evil Force bore no skin, showing the muscles and tendons that lay beneath, and it spewed forth a long and flagellating tongue that was diseased and covered in green ichor. Shanoa reacted violently in what would otherwise be 'disgust' and did a _Hasta_ Union, which resulted her in stabbing forward with a large pole arm and impaling it through the mouth of her enemy, defeating it straight away.

Ducking inside, they were met with, not surprisingly, a shattered stairwell that offered the decision to traverse upwards or down. Hopping across to the main floor landing, they found a green chest with a Military Wear: clothing that looked to be somewhat resistant to blades due to its heavy wool weave. The item was scrutinized for a moment before the item was pocketed to inventory.  
Heading downstairs first was in their best interest, as after taking out a Spear Guard they came across a bag of gold for their troubles. Further along in the basement was a corridor of empty jail cells patrolled by a few Spear Guards, which were salvaged for scrap copper ore.  
New to their list of enemies they had thus far encountered were a pair of Bone Archers. The first one they came across fired off a well-aimed shot at Shanoa when she was not paying attention. Albus called 'Look out!' before grabbing Shanoa's arm and pulling her close with the intent to shield her. Though he spun to block the attack with his body, Shanoa reversed the momentum and broke out of his embrace to front the blow of the arrow to her metal breastplate. Both of them, and their attacker, watched it ricochet off, hit the floor. The anti-climactic moment fell just as flat. If the skeleton had the ability to sweat nervously, it would have done so - just before being dismantled violently by Shanoa. Her conquest dropped an _Arcus_ glyph to which she absorbed it and turned to Albus.

"Silly. I'm the one wearing metal. -Just what do you think you're going to accomplish if you get wounded so needlessly?"

Frowning at her words, Albus remained silent so as to refrain from making a further fool of himself by defending his actions.

"Either way, thank you." She gave him a smile in appreciation which in turn caused his expression to relax a bit.

The time to loot was at hand, the room offering a Cabriolet style of hat (to Shanoa's disdain), some preserved Chamomile, and a vitality-boosting vial. Backtracking and heading up the stairs they made their way to the upper floors to find another cellblock guarded by the same sorts of enemies as in the basement block.  
A descending stairway awaited, and after dispatching another Bone Archer, they came to a stop at what should have been a main floor landing. Shanoa scrutinized the wall a moment before taking her Hasta Union to it and causing the wall to crumble. Inside was a small room with a chest that held a ring, engraved with 'The High Priestess' and after putting it on, she felt a bit more magically inclined but not as physically strong. With a shrug she decided to leave it on.

Further on lay a corridor with a seized-up freight elevator allowing access to what was presumably the watch tower. The stairwell was shattered and there were no points in which to use Magnes. A few Winged Guard skeletons floated about, causing enough concern in which Albus decided he had enough of their swarming and put an arm around Shanoa's waist before high-vaulting upwards with her in tow.  
There appeared to be nothing of interest at the top, but the view of the compound was unparalleled. They could see the lighthouse from their perch, it's beacon active and cutting through the fog on the far shore of the island. Albus muttered to himself that the tower would be a good place to hide a person. Shanoa shook her head and gave him a nudge.

Descending back down to the main floor, they found that the only way to go was further down into a sub-basement level. The pair paused at the sight before them, rather than a morgue and medical site as with most prisons, they were met with a torture chamber; severed limbs, partial skeletons and dried blood decorated everything.  
A dark figure stood in the middle of the room, perfectly still until they got closer. It turned out to be a man dressed in a dark coat and hat. Immediately it disrobed, its hat fluttering to the floor. ..But there was nothing to be seen. The man was invisible.

"Cheeky." Albus commented, raising an eyebrow before getting a sucker punch to the face. Or maybe it was a well-placed kick. He couldn't tell, with the way his head spun. He recoiled and righted himself, rubbing his chin.

Shanoa looked around for their transparent enemy, listening for any telltale sounds. Albus stood back to back with her, doing the same. Between a well-placed sword slash, and a round of optical shot, their adversary soon blistered and bubbled into to view, turning red and bloody before crumpling into a pile of ooze. Wrinkling her nose, Shanoa stepped over the remains while making a b-line for a chest at the back wall to find an odd red vial, and a trapdoor at her feet.  
Heading below, there was another level to the torture chamber and while they traversed the only viable path through, a few enemies and some wire-rigged traps awaited them - though the spiked barricades that came clattering down were of little consequence. The next room looked to be the pinnacle of mad science, as there was a large gurney in the centre with skeletal remains, situated near containment units with what looked to be failed biological experiments. Albus moved towards the gurney and looked around at the equipment in the room - crossing his arms and eyeing the various extraction tools that were likely used for grievous purposes. There was something among the tools that caught his attention, something that looked like it could extract magic from innate sources.

"Albus?" Shanoa asked, looking a bit worried.

Albus realized that his expression had become a bit dark and bordering on evil-genius upon seeing the potential of the equipment in the room. "Ah, yes?"

Eyes narrowing, Shanoa simply made a noise of discontent and shook her head in meaning that she had nothing else to say.

With a shrug, Albus went back to studying the contraption. "I'm going to have to ask you to wait a bit. I'm going to experiment while we're here, as these machines are too large to take back with us."

Shanoa crossed her arms and bargained that she would be 'allowed' to explore this time around. Albus nodded in agreement, but counter-bargained that she stay on the current floor and check back in with him periodically. Begrudgingly she accepted the offer and headed off to see what she could find. Her trip was short, as there were a few iron maidens with a bladed pendulum in the next room, neither being of interest to get caught up in. She meandered up the stairwell a bit and peered ahead at the next floor, seeing a lot of the same gory scenery and some of the same enemies as before. Heading back down she found some preserved Sage in a chest and some money at the bottom of the stairs. ...Had it been there before? Hopefully she did not have a hole in her inventory bag.

Returning to the experiment room, she found Albus staring intently at the machine he had been fixated on. A tome with a green glow to it floated before him, and he watched as the aura pulsed - brighter and brighter, until it suddenly went dim. Then he put his hands on either side of the book, touching the aura around the cover, and pulled his hands away and towards him. A symbol formed from the aura and turned into a Glyph with a shape of an ornate sword with runes on it. The device then crackled, sputtered and ceased working, the empty tome falling to the floor unceremoniously.

"Impressive..." Albus murmured to himself, entranced. Dominus Hatred hovered before him, freed from its captive tome. How was he going to splinter the other two now?

Shanoa approached him, shivering as if cold, due to the immense power the Glyph gave off. "It really is Dominus. What are you thinking?"

"Figured... With that much power, it's impossible to conceal its source." His muttering continued and he acted as if she were not in the room. "Well... it's the best I can do, for the time being."

Something about him was 'off'. The aura from the powerful glyph wound tendrils of magic around the man, seemingly poking and prodding at his mind. More concerning was that he did not seem to notice.

"The source of Dominus? What does that mean?" Stepping closer, Shanoa poised the question softly, eyeing the glyph cautiously as she did so.

"What it means, dear, is that I was right." Albus paused, putting a hand to his chin. "Perhaps. I still have some theories to iron out before I can make an assured statement."

Shanoa did not like how his tone had changed, and his expression fluctuated between enthralled at the glyph and annoyed when having to look away from it. "How were you able to create a glyph without casting it? I thought only I could-"

"A lot of research and a little help. Though I doubt I can do it again any time soon. To think, I actually splintered Dominus and formed a glyph. The old man would be reeling to hear that I've come so far, so quickly..."

"Underestimated you, did he?" Shanoa asked, trying to lighten the mood. How Albus was applying his brilliance towards what was implied to be a dark power concerned her, as did the implications of the ways the results would affect their former master.

"Only a little." Albus's face fell into a more neutral expression as he bent to pick up the old book that had contained Dominus. "Despite my current feelings for our old master, I admit that he never stooped to insulting my intelligence."

Pleased with his answer, Shanoa nodded. Okay, she had him more relaxed... Now to get him to put the glyph away. She asked if he was going to put the glyph into the catalogue, or better yet - let her absorb it.

He studied it a moment, looked over at her, then back at the glyph. "No, I don't think you should take it in just yet. It's still likely to cause more harm than good if you absorb it."

"...Maybe I'll get my memories back." She said quietly. Naturally, Albus responded that it was too dangerous to be sure, but she was ready for him. "They're my memories, Albus. It's my choice, is it not?"

He put a hand to his face and sighed irritably. "And what if you lose them? Then we have to go through this all over again."

"But you're here. And I know I'm in good hands." She twisted a little at the metaphorical dagger she had stuck into his heart. "Albus. Please."

Staring at her for a moment, he soon admitted defeat and took a step back. "Okay. I'm right here with you this time."

Preparing herself, Shanoa stood ready and absorbed the glyph. A surge of emotion washed over her: seething distaste, and she fell to her knees, though managing to brace herself up with one steady arm. Breathing hard, with sounds of effort escaping her lips, she mentally struggled to grasp at the sword. The overall sensation of fighting with the glyph was pure agony: it burned and threatened to engulf her entire body… but finally she grasped the damn thing and made it hers.

Before she could rejoice in her success, something strange happened to her. Although her eyes had since opened, everything had gone bright white. Even when she blinked, there was only white emptiness. She tried closing her eyes for longer, still… just… blankness.

She knew panicking would not help matters, but she was very tempted in which to do so, especially when her sight started picking up on details around her slowly materializing into view. Once a few objects had become visible enough, she realized she was not in Minera Prison anymore. And though she knew she remained down on one knee, she felt like she was involuntarily walking though a dimly lit hallway and coming to a stop at a particular door. Was she seeing through someone else's eyes?

It dawned on Shanoa that she was reliving a lost memory.

* * *

_Several years prior…  
_

* * *

For the umpteenth time, Albus botched one of numerous attempts to emblazon a glyph on to the back of his left hand. Each time he attempted, his body rejected the magic source and sent a horrid burning sensation coursing through his veins. He grunted in pain and slumped over, his forehead hitting the surface his desk with a forceful thud.  
An unknown while later Shanoa stopped by to check up on him, having given herself entrance his quarters in a hurry when there had been no response from him. She suppressed a gasp as she hurried over to his desk and shook him once, then eased him into an upright sitting position. When his eyes opened and he showed signs of consciousness, she immediately launched into what he called her 'lecture mode' - after some choice words at his foolishness.

"…You can't keep doing this; you'll destroy yourself! Let me take your place."

Despite how languid he was, he managed to counter that he would 'be fine'. He tried to look up at her, and in failing that miserably his head lolled to one side. "What... kind of person would I be...if I didn't protect you...? That's... my role."

"…That is so like you, Albus. You can't just solve every problem on your own without telling me!"

He smiled cheekily at her, incapable of doing anything else.

Shanoa huffed at him in irritation, then persisted in hauling him to his feet. "If Master Barlowe says you aren't able to successfully transcribe glyphs on to your body, then this argument is over."

Not having the energy to think of something witty in a different language entirely, Albus simply muttered 'no promises'. Somehow through their combined efforts he staggered over to his bed only to flop down unceremoniously, hitting his pillow face first.

"You all right?" Crossing her arms, Shanoa observed him a moment. Receiving a muffled 'yes' she sat on the edge of the bed and began to remove his shoes for him.  
"Thanks, _sis_." He stressed the term and while still face down in his pillow he chuckled quietly.

Her gaze darted from the footwear she had fixated on, having dropped it to the floor, over to the back of his head. "Don't even get me started on these convent titles. _Brother_ Albus."

He raised an arm, pointing a finger upward. A gesture he used when melodramatically correcting someone. Which happened more often than not. "_Chief_ Researcher!"

"Whatever." Shanoa gave a nonchalant shrug while unlacing his other shoe. "Chief of the _ticklish_, maybe."

"…Don't. You. Dare."

She laughed, setting the now-liberated shoe next to its partner on the floor. Standing, she offered to get him some water. And another lecture when she returned.

The retort being a muffled, sarcastic 'wonderful'.

* * *

As the 'other' her left the room, the scene faded to white, leaving Shanoa with a warm and comfortable feeling. Come to think of it, everything felt a bit more... real to her... as if her emotions had been unlocked, but also as if a chain remained on the door to her emotions in order to prevent everything from seeping out. Nothing much else seemed different or new… aside from the memory, and the fact that she was stuck in a perpetual mental limbo. Was it time to panic yet?

"Shanoa?"

Albus's voice filled the silence, the white void in her mind still present even though she had squelched her eyes shut. She could hear the worry in his voice and listened to the little sounds he made as he approached and crouched down to check on her. Once she felt his hands on her shoulders, everything felt grounded again and her vision faded back into proper darkness. Waiting, she counted a few breaths before she dared to open her eyes. She stared at the floor for a moment before her gaze trailed over to her companion's not-so-pristine shoes.

"You did scuff them." She confirmed, eyes flitting up to his. "And here I thought you were just being overly-dramatic like usual."

Looking at her, Albus eased back and ran a hand through his hair while letting out a breath of relief. "Are you all right?"

Shanoa noted that with the glyph out of reach, he seemed to have returned to normal. Thank goodness. "I have a bit more of an emotional range, but..." She sighed, stood, and crossed her arms. "Still missing my memories."

"And what have we learned?" Albus asked, returning to standing position.

Shanoa gave him a defiant smirk. A real one. "That you're not always right?"

Her combat partner balked, jaw open a moment before he closed it. "Me? Hah, okay."

The exasperated expression of her companion was just too priceless, causing Shanoa to laugh rather loudly. Once she had calmed herself and apologized they moved on up to the next floor. A few battles hindered their progress, nothing they couldn't handle, and found their way to the upper east cell block. Inside, they defeated a small platoon of Spear Guards to get at a chest of cotton thread, and an orange cat that Albus wrangled and then stuffed a Magical Ticket into its collar.

Heading down to what they assumed was the lower east cell block, Shanoa found herself another odd statue that radiated glyph magic. Upon breaking it she was gifted with a _Falcis_, or sickle glyph, and it proved to be a decent improvement in strength over her swords.  
Entering the sub level, they were surprised to find that it was a room of wires and electric currents. Albus hypothesized that it was running the equipment in the lab - and if they could shut off the power source then perhaps the island would cease to be a haven for agents of darkness. Shanoa agreed, and they headed into the electrified room, avoiding as best they could the surging pulses of electricity that coursed past them. A few shocks and a lot of frizzy hair later, they reached the end of the room to find that it was a _Fulgur_ glyph. Shanoa scrutinized it a moment and asked Albus if he wanted it. He declined and mentioned that he already had one in his possession. She gave him an incredulous look, to which he replied that he saved a lot of his elemental shots for more difficult circumstances.

Returning to the main floor, the duo soon found themselves outside again. They dodged the searchlights, dispatched a couple of winged demons, and after having dismantled a mechanical Tinman they were awarded with a strength-boosting ring for their efforts.

Exiting the prison compound, they followed a worn path through a rather barren area of the island that led towards the lighthouse. The storm from earlier had subsided since their trek through the prison, but the sky was dark and tinted purple by the lightning storms in the distance.

Proposing a short break, Shanoa stepped off the path and sat on a patch of dried grasses, and Albus sat himself next to her. They watched the dark clouds on the horizon for a few minutes while sharing a small meal that Chef Aeon had sent along with them.

"How am I doing so far?" Shanoa asked after some time of silence, in between bites of cold curried meat and brown rice.

Albus reflected a moment, considering that she had a ways to go until she was as powerful as she had been once before. "Exceptionally well, considering the slipshod training you endured." Taking a sip from a bottle of milk, he afterward wiped at his mouth with a sleeve and continued to stare off into the distance.

The attempt that he made to hide his feelings of doubt did not escape Shanoa, and so she scooted a little closer to touch a hand to his shoulder. "I've no complaints with your training regimen." She offered, successfully coaxing a small smile out of him. "And you know I'm grateful."

"Well," Placing a hand over hers, Albus nodded. "I do now. Thank you."

Shanoa smiled back, quite happy with being able to express half as much. She returned to a more neutral expression a moment later, realizing that she ought to tell him about what she had experienced down in the morgue.

"I… I saw a glimpse of something earlier… a memory from the past."

Breath catching, Albus went still.

"It wasn't anything too significant, just me lecturing you on trying to bear glyphs. So… really it could have happened quite recently. Nothing's changed it seems!." Shanoa chuckled, but went quiet upon noticing how uncomfortable Albus looked. He seemed to only be torn between reactions for a few moments before he gave a dry laugh in agreement to her small jest.

"But… it was nice." She continued. "I really felt the warmth in the connection we once had." A question popped up in her mind and she wondered if it was the right time to bring it up. The query she had would no doubt ruin the otherwise amicable mood, but she would get a better answer out of him presently than if she had asked it earlier on. "I need to ask you something personal."

Blinking visibly, Albus opened his mouth as if he were going to speak but he ended up not uttering a sound.

"I'll take that as consent." Laughing quietly, Shanoa grabbed the milk bottle out of his hand and took a long sip. "Did you... feel anything... when Dominus was before you?"

The subject of her question was nowhere near where Albus's mind had wandered, which thankfully at that moment was a welcome distraction. The way her expression had fallen when she asked, however, made him wonder if something that he had not been aware of transpired.

He looked her straight in the eyes and asked, "Did I do something wrong?"

"You... changed. Only a little bit. But..." Shanoa took in a breath and held it briefly in pause. "It was enough to worry me."

Dumbstruck, Albus looked away from her as he considered the implications of her words. He had changed? How? He had not felt that much different when Dominus had floated in glyph form before him. Sure, he had felt its power... Sighing he shook his head and told himself that he had other angles to consider regarding how Dominus would affect its bearers. And now with this latest revelation, he felt like a failure all over again for it had affected him personally, and he had allowed Shanoa to absorb the first Dominus glyph. When he finally moved to apologize, Shanoa raised a hand towards him and pressed her fingers gently to his mouth to silence him.

"Don't." She nearly pleaded that he not say what was on his mind, for she seemed to have guessed that he was being quite hard on himself. "Just... please be careful around the next piece."

Albus paused while inhaling a breath through his nose, then nodded very slightly in compliance to her request.

* * *

Once inside the lighthouse, their immediate observation was that it was far too quiet. And as there was only one way for them to go, they ascended the broken spiral stairwell until they met the ceiling. But it was far too low for the tower. What was going on?

Suddenly the ground shook as something crashed through the wall below them. They both peered over the edge and looked down, only to lay eyes the largest crab that either of them had ever seen -and it was crawling up the length of the tower towards them.

Albus swore under his breath before remarking, "Let's go!"

"Where? It's blocking the way out!" Shanoa responded vehemently. "We're going to have to get it to make an exit."

They held their ground and struck at the flailing claws once it had closed in on their positions. After a few well-placed hits, it seemed to enrage, and struck out with its larger claw, missing its target and shattering a hole in the ceiling. Albus took the opportunity to warp up to the next level and leaned back down to extend a hand to Shanoa, who leapt and grabbed on successfully. Upwards they hustled across the ledges, with their enemy, revealed by the Book of Spirits to be named Brachyura, crashing through the bulkhead with ease in its pursuit of them.

Unfortunately, the warrior and the scholar were forced to repeat the process as there was another false ceiling after ascending another few broken flights. As Shanoa was pulled through the second ceiling's hole, she was instructed to get Magnes ready right as she was launched into the air by her partner. Using the magnetic forces to her advantage, she bobbed from strut to strut with the Glyph's power, while Albus kept in stride with her by high jumping between the far and few stone steps.  
Only, they were met with another false ceiling.

"This has to be the last one." Albus asserted, breath a little ragged though he did not let on to his status ailment. He had taken a hit from one of the poisonous bubbles that Brachyura had blown after them when they had escaped through the second hole. He cursed at himself for it, as normally his tolerance to toxins was very high. He would have to pay better attention in the future.

Too preoccupied with their large adversary, Shanoa did not notice his worsening condition at first but when they both avoided the large claw slam aimed at the ledge they had perched on, she noticed that Albus's movements were bordering on sluggish. They each landed on opposite ledges after dodging, and she saw that he had turned quite pallid, if not a bit green, also wiping at his brow as though he were sweating buckets.

Finally they were able to make the fourth ascent, but the large crustacean enraged and proceeded upward in double-time. Shanoa made her own way up through the shattered ceiling and took her turn to extend a hand. Albus's tapped-out stamina allotted him a lesser warp towards her and gratefully he grabbed on, doing his best to pull himself up through the hole. When he stood on his own, Shanoa told him to 'hang on' right before she looped an arm around his waist, got a good grip on his belt and used Magnes to launch them both towards the top of the tower. The ups and downs of the trip did very little to quell the ill feeling that had overtaken him.

A fortunate turn of events transpired as they found a service door for what appeared to be a steam-powered elevator. Albus, trying his best not to be violently ill, noticed a lever in the middle of the lift. He managed a grin and gestured for Shanoa to throw the switch. "It's show time."

Tossing Albus an anti-venom, Shanoa then put one hand on the lever and with her other made a gesture to her partner that he should throw back the contents of the bottle before their descent. As he did so, she cast her eyes through the grated floor at their pursuer and quipped, "Go to Hell."

The ensuing carnage was enough to cause most people to cringe, for the elevator plummeted downward and pushed the gigantic crustacean down with it, smashing it through ledges, sections of stairwell, and any remnants of the former bulk heads, until finally they reached ground floor and... well… there was a lot of 'splash back'.  
The downside to their strategy had been the sheer amount of blood and gore that covered the walls, the floors, the elevator, and themselves. A mutual expression of silent shock and fierce cringing affected them both, with Shanoa eventually wiping her face with her hands in order to rid herself of some of the rising 'ick' factor she was feeling. Though her partner had been pushed past his own 'ick' limit and just... ceased to react. He stood there in a perpetual 'why?!' pose for a long while, slowly looking around the lift, and down at himself, completely lost at what to do.

Taking pity on him, Shanoa wiped her hands off on her dress and rooted around in her inventory bag for a clean handkerchief. Managing to find one, she stepped over to Albus and took a hold of his chin with one hand and gently wiped away any gore that blotted his otherwise dapper face. He seemed to return to his sense after that, and managed to mutter a dark 'thanks' out loud after she wiped down his hands and bracers for him.

Peering at the mess covering Shanoa's face, Albus found that the spatters on her face made her look… powerful. As if she were some sort of blood-soaked battle angel. "...You're filthy."

She exhaled suddenly, in a sort of surprised chuckle. "I suppose I am." She replied quietly, her eyes downcast as she blotted the handkerchief against the sides of his neck. "But that was your brilliant idea."

"You can have the credit for this one." Albus muttered, taking the handkerchief from her and wiping off the front of his leather vest the best that he could manage. "I don't think I will be eating seafood any time soon after this."

Once they had tidied themselves up as best as the could with the single handkerchief, Shanoa mentioned that she had been requested to draw the scenery from atop the lighthouse for the village elder, Daniella. They took the elevator back up, and she wandered about the area to glean inspiration from the sights(and a _Luminatio_ light glyph) before opening up her gifted sketchbook to sketch portions of the landscape below her. Albus in the meanwhile propped himself up in one out-of-the-way section and took a nap as the effects of the anti-venom had made him rather tired and he knew it was best to conserve his energy for later.  
An hour passed before Shanoa felt she had gotten the right 'mood' in her sketch, and she went to wake her sleeping companion. Kneeling before him, she stopped herself from shaking his shoulder and just watched him for a few moments. He looked so peaceful while asleep, and although the sight brought her some comfort, she oddly-enough preferred when he was awake and being a pain in the neck.

Any rising tender thoughts in her mind vanished as her expression flattened and she poked him hard in the shoulder. "Hey. Get up. You can finish your beauty sleep later."

Jostling awake, Albus surprisingly did not frown or grumble at her. In fact he was rather languid and passive. "Okay, okay. Let's... get going then." Groggy, he braced himself against the wall while standing and put a hand to his forehead. "Lead on."

Taking the elevator back down, they then headed towards a hole in the far wall that their defeated crustacean foe had made when it appeared. The 'extreme renovation' pathway led down into the earth and had been dug down under the lighthouse. Following the tunnel a ways, there was a mangled chest with Serpent Scale inside that bore an inscription noting that the item granted the bearer the ability to move freely under water. Onward they wandered until it became apparent that further travel would require exploring a network of undersea caves. As in, more 'wet'. Debating their course of action, Shanoa insisted that she explore the expanse as she had a feeling that something of use was down below.  
While Shanoa herself did not mind getting wet, Albus was quite belligerent in stating his disapproval of them splitting up. They debated back and forth for a few minutes, with him finally conceding and putting forth the motion that she explore the caverns below while he took the long way back around to try and find where the sea caves let out. His educated guess surmised that the Tymeo Mountain area would be a connecting point. The plan was acceptable in Shanoa's opinion, and after agreeing with the overall plan she noted his attempts to worry less about her.

Before she was 'allowed' to go on ahead, Albus offered to braid her hair for her. And though she sat quietly during the taming of her locks, it was apparent that she was raring to get started on her solo adventure. When her hair was done she bolted for the water, stopping only when she had gone in chest-deep. She turned back to say something akin to 'see you later' but the words caught in her throat when she noticed the concerned look on her companion's face.

Quietly, Albus requested of her to 'please take care', to which Shanoa sighed irritably at first but softened her features and forced herself to smile back and reassure him that she had it covered. "I'll be fine."

"…I know. But the moment things get too hairy, use a magical ticket to return to Wygol. I'll be checking periodically for a missing one. So, either see you back at the village, or we'll meet up soon."

Telling him to stay safe as well, Shanoa nodded and gave a two-finger salute before turning to dive into the depths of the sea caves. And Albus was left to stare at the water's surface for far longer that he would have liked to admit.

* * *

The sea caves turned out to be a vast network of passages and dead ends, plagued with all variety of aquatic life that Shanoa could only describe as 'angry'. Deeper into the cave system, she discovered a lot more spiny Needles, several vaguely-named Killer Fish, bone pillars of Fishheads, jellyfish-like Forneus, a plethora of Dark Octopi, and she ended up putting enough Mermen down that it would not have been a stretch to call it genocide.

Eyes darting about, Shanoa noted the texture of the walls and eased her way past both stalactites and stalagmites that were covered in microscopic sea life, small shellfish, and… the occasional skull. Although her direction sense was decent at best, she did not like the feeling of not progressing forward, for there was a lot of zig-zagging apparent in her route. The path led her increasingly upwards and eventually to a dead end yet there was something interesting in the small cavern that caught her interest. A tethered depth charge barrel sat near the entry passage and evidence of an underwater avalanche was visible at the far end. Fighting off some annoying amoeba-like Gelso creatures, she moved the charge over to the loose rocks then moved far back enough before summoning her _Arcus_ glyph and launching an arrow…  
The large, tiered explosion was muted somewhat in the cave system, but it was heard for miles on the surface. Everything around Shanoa shook violently and she was forced to cover her ears once the charge had gone off, not just for the sound but the frequency it omitted through the water - the vibrations made her head spin.  
Once the sediment had settled, she swam towards the hole she had made and peered upwards, seeing the surface of the channel some ways above her.

Meanwhile on the upper edge of Kalidus Channel, Albus hurriedly warped to the waters' edge. To hasten his trek back he had gone around the outer wall of the prison to avoid combat, and though the uneventful 'walk' had been a relief, being left alone with his thoughts had done far more harm than good. He knew he had to work on his issues with trusting Shanoa's strength, but it was difficult to do so when he was so afraid of losing her again. And he had been in the midst of such thoughts when a loud earth-shattering sound had come from the direction of Kalidus Channel.

Helplessly, he observed the furious waves rushing outwards from what looked like a huge ripple in the water and immediately checked his inventory to see if any of the magical tickets were missing. They were all accounted for.

"Shanoa!" He called out, then felt a bit silly as she would not have been able to hear him. At a loss for what to do at the moment, he hoped that she was all right -but what could he do? Maybe if he found another Serpent Scale he could head down and see if he could find her...  
Becoming a bit more frantic, he ran both hands through his hair, nearly giving in to pulling at his locks in frustration. He paced back and forth, trying to will himself to calm down, to fight the bleak thoughts that were assaulting his mind.  
Then he thought he heard a voice call out 'Hey!' from the water. It was official, he had lost his damn mind. The wind that howled around him was starting to taunt him as well. He turned back towards the channel and froze in place when his eyes fell upon Shanoa bobbing on the water's surface a short ways away.

"I made a shortcut!" She called, pointing downwards rather enthusiastically.

Albus at that moment was so torn between relief at seeing her in one piece, and anger at the audacity she showed in making light of the situation. He lept forward on to a large piece of debris that floated near her and knelt down to better give her an earful.  
"A-a shortcut?" He yelled, and he felt one of his eyes go a bit twitchy. Oh lord, okay, he had to keep it together. …Nope. "You blew a hole in the sea floor! You could have caused a cave in! You could have died!"

Shanoa had gone solemn during his lecture, realizing that she had worried the ever-loving mercy out of him. "I didn't mean to cause you concern." She stated apologetically, swimming closer to the wreckage.

Temper cooling, Albus put a hand to his forehead and simply could not find any words at that moment. When he managed to give Shanoa a relieved look, she smiled and splashed a little water at him in good fun. Wincing away from the splash, he sighed and gave her a small smile before asking if she was done with the sea caves. With a smirk, she told him there was still more she wished to explore, adding in a 'at least it's not raining' comment that made him frown and ask why she had felt the need to say such a thing.

With a shrug, she left him on the surface again, diving downward through the hole she had created and returned to a corridor that ran parallel to the channel's route.

More simple enemy battles aside, there was not much of interest in the caves despite her exploration of every nook and passage for shiny and/or useful items. Her efforts so far had netted her a variety of potion types, two rings; one Gold and one labelled Resist, a Sapphire, some Salt and Raw Killer Fish meat for Aeon's grocery list, and Black Ink for George.  
She had also dismantled a couple of statues on the sea bed, yielding her a _Scutum_ shield glyph and a passive back glyph called _Fortus Fio_ which she found raised her constitution and physical resistance when she gave it a whirl.  
And for the sake of ease, when she came across a Rubber Suit (which was more of a rubber dress than anything), she found a dry spot in which to equip it, and wrung out her blue garment before stuffing it into her inventory pouch.

Soon her opinion of 'passable treasure' changed when she came upon the remains of a sunken trade ship. Curiosity getting the better of her, she swam closer and looked for an opening to squeeze through. She did not have to look for long, as the upper part of the cavern had a large air pocket, and upon further inspection, she found that the lower decks of the ship were not waterlogged.  
Hopping on to dry land, she peered down into the ship, summoning a _Luminatio_ bolt into her hand to light the way. There were large Skull Spiders and a few Mermen that stood in her way but she dispatched them with little difficulty.  
Lowering herself through a hatch into the ship's hold, she salvaged what she could manage, being enough cotton thread for Monica's list, an Emerald, Iron Ore for Eugen, a Magician's ring, and a fair amount of coinage.

Returning to the cavern system, she wandered for a little longer until she found a passage blocked by a couple of Sea Demons, which proved to be quite swift in their liquid habitat. A few glancing blows were landed on Shanoa, but she shouldered them admirably and managed to absorb a _Grando_ ice glyph from one of them when it lingered in its casting for too long.  
Once she was victorious, she found that the demons had blocked a tunnel that appeared to head into dry land and away from the sea. Well then, everything was going just swimmingly.

* * *

Albeit underground, Shanoa had found herself on dry land again. Clothes and hair thoroughly soaked, she wiggled out of the tight Rubber Suit, shook it out, shoved it into the pouch, put her still somewhat-damp halter dress back on, and refastened her armor in place.

The Tymeo mountain range was said to be the largest in the region and was rumoured to be a nesting ground for terrible creatures, and that the caverns in the lower expanse echoed with strange howls from the wind - or perhaps darker forces.  
The cave she wandered through brought her to a sheer cliff side, leaving her no choice but to traverse time-ravaged bridges and frayed rope ladders in order to ascend upwards. Her trek would have been otherwise uneventful but she was pestered by flying Winged Guards and the odd crow swooping at her head. (The latter of which she managed to salvage a few tails from to show as proof to Irina.)

Soon Shanoa found herself in another tunnel, dodging boulders chucked her way by a pair of Rock Knights. After dismantling them, she found herself at a dead end.  
Something flew past her, which she had no chance to identify as it had been mostly invisible by the time she had reacted. She waited, and heard a galloping sound coming back around her way. Steadying herself, she readied her _Confodore_ glyph in each arm and dropped the union form downward, causing the invisible foe to materialize upon its defeat. It was a literal Nightmare, an undead horse-like creature with green armor on its neck and face... at least until it burned to ashes before her and left behind some supple horsehair that she hoped would work for George's request.

Back to the dead end dilemma... there was a hole in the ceiling that she could climb through but she couldn't manage it at the moment. Using her wits and strength she knocked some of the larger hanging stalactites from the ceiling and made a series of stepping platforms up to where she intended to go. Upwards into the airshaft, there were Skull Spiders in her way, and she managed to find a secret room with a ring of The Empress in a chest within. Liking the name, she swapped out her other ring and put it on her left middle finger, feeling her strength increase. Excellent. She would keep that one on for a while.  
Her amusement faded once she found herself in a traversing corridor... filled with spikes on the floor and a few staggered _Magnes_ struts here and there. She managed to pass it decently-well, putting only one tear in the hem of her garment. Oh well.  
Once outside again, there were more ladders and bridges to carefully tread and climb, all the while fighting off more crows, Winged Guards and another Rock Knight.

Finally reaching the cliff tops, she noticed that she couldn't reach the far cliff, the side that lead back towards Wygol. She assessed the jump and considered anything that she could do to make the gap but nothing came to mind.  
Deciding to take a short break from her trek, she sat and dug through her inventory bag to go over what she had found in the cliffside caves, blue drops and some more herbs for Abram.

Soon she heard a ruckus from across the gorge, and a few loud and echoing 'bang' noises that sent crows flying off in a panic. For a split second she considered that she might have to fight something dangerous, but she soon surmised that she had nothing to worry about for her second guess was that it was her combat partner kicking up a fuss.

When Albus marched into view across the way, it took Shanoa a moment to recognize him, for at some point he must have gotten fed up with his gore and blood-stained clothes, deciding to change out of his white shirt and leather vest, into the Military Gear, which was much darker in colour. The armored top did his physique about as much favour as his usual ensemble, and it was interesting to see him show off bare arms… or rather bare elbows. When he noticed her, he warped across the cliff tops to stand before her, quite relieved that she was in one piece.

Envying his abilities somewhat, Shanoa held out a water skin towards him. "Good to see you." She said politely, watching as he took a seat on the ground near her.

Replying likewise, Albus revealed his findings, a Ruby, Chrysoberyl, Lapis Lazuli, a set of Crimson gear being that of greaves, mail, and a mask, and finally he opened his glyph catalogue and showed her some glyphs; _Vol Confodore_, _Ignis_ &amp; _Pneuma_. He had also managed to take photos of a cave troll and a yeti, and collected several crows' tails. Between the two of them, they had thirty, which was enough for Irina's 'requirements'.

Shanoa glanced at his left hand and noticed something glinting blue on his middle finger. "What ring is that?"

"Emperor. A defensive ring, I think. Though I admit to feeling more sated than normal after that water."

She said nothing, debating for half a second telling him that hers was the empress but she decided against it.

They regaled about what they each had seen and fought, and considered their next course of action which was to head back to Wygol, or continue on down the misty road behind them.  
Deciding to continue on, they explored a cave crawling with more spiders and found _Fidus Fio _hiding in a statue, with Shanoa taking it into consideration for if she ever needed a boost to her magic and magic defense.

Onward they travelled down the Misty Forest Road, was not so much misty as it was foggy. Passing the remains of a wall, Shanoa hesitated and requested of her partner to watch her back in the fog to which he nodded and kept an eye out for anything that was not directly in front of the path she would soon cleave for them. Tall undead Grave Diggers fell by her Ice swords- a union of _Grando_ and _Confodore,_ as did ghost-like Specters. Albus was likewise kept busy with picking off multiple Bitterfly creatures; flying skulls that had the nasty habit of disappearing and reappearing in the most inconvenient places.

A floating goat demon called a Black Formor hovered about, staying just out of reach of Shanoa and teleporting whenever Albus shot at it. It had to remain visible when trying to cast a spell at them, which gave Shanoa the opportunity to steal its _Umbra_ spell of darkness.  
Thinking quickly, she summoned _Umbra_ and _Luminatio_ together and combined them in a glyph union; the resulting spell ripped through the area in an elemental tempest that nearly rendered the fabric of time and space. Or so it appeared to do so. Giving an impressed whistle at both the spell, and how it had cleared the immediate area of any foes, she put her hands on her hips and turned to ask Albus how impressive he thought her new glyph union was. She did not get to ask the question, nor could he have answered if she had, for her magical prowess had indeed hit everything and everyone in the area that was not the caster.

Worried, she dashed over to Albus, who lay on the ground face up and was thankfully still breathing. Shanoa knelt by him and hoisted him up into a near sitting position, supporting him against her as she shook him, repeatedly telling him to wake up.

Consciousness returning once an open healing potion had been wafted under his nose, he opened his eyes, winced and put a hand to his forehead. "Don't ever do that again without warning me." He muttered after sucking in a breath through grit teeth, moving to sit up on his own.

"Can we call it even for the ritual 'oops'?" Even though Shanoa had crossed her arms, the forced smirk her mouth bore was evidence of dry sarcasm.

Perhaps it was not the best time to joke of such things, as Albus took it a bit too personally and quietly asked if she blamed him. She shook her head and told him 'Of course not', before standing and offering him a hand up. She further iterated that he should not dwell on it any longer as there was little to be done about the past - and that she did not hold him in any sort of contempt.  
He took her hand and allowed himself to be hauled to his feet. Dusting himself off, he mentioned that he knew the past couldn't be changed but he was hell bent on making things right in the present and the future.  
Relieved, she nodded, afterward stating that she did not think he would be so susceptible to dark magic, to which he replied that most humans were - so long as they had not strayed too far from the light.

Further on ahead was the remains of an old cemetery, passing near what may have been a guard tower or soldier barracks from an era long past. The iron gate that they passed had been twisted on its hinges as if it had been made of delicate jewellers wire.  
Once inside the walls, there was little to examine as the place was in absolute ruin. The floor had since rotted away, while stone walls and pillars had crumbled. Shanoa did manage to find a resonating statue remnant that offered up a stronger _Vol Macir_ hammer glyph, smiling to herself as she absorbed the powers within.  
Albus in the meanwhile busied himself with shooting down a pair of Bitterflies and a Specter, which left the path clear for Shanoa to engage a humanoid creature that she figured to be some sort of lesser succubus. (The book of souls would later reveal it to be a Werebat.) It summoned bats that it directed to attack her, which she effortlessly batted out of the air with her weapons.

"Let's play, cute little kitty!" It called to her, flapping its own bat-like wings and hovering a bit off the ground.

Although female herself, Shanoa found herself a little distracted by the nakedness of her opponent, who wore blue coloured attire that only consisted of gloves, tall boots, and a bustier. The creature's hair and wings were of similar colour but whatever was not clothed was certainly… pink.

Shanoa launched herself forward to strike at her opponent. It was surprisingly agile, weaving and dodging to avoid her attacks with ease. Growing a little frustrated, Shanoa used a union of her strongest melee weapon with the _Luminatio_ light glyph and sent out a slicing crescent of light that critically damaged the Werebat, who gave a cry of agony as she perished in a puff of smoke. A passive glyph was left behind, which made Shanoa wary of absorbing it. She turned to see where Albus had gotten off to, but he had watched the whole ordeal from a safe distance away.

"Enjoy the show?" She asked, giving her head a shake when he approached.

"Not as much as you might think." He shrugged nonchalantly before leaning forward with a hand on his chin as he studied the passive glyph. "This looks to be a transformation glyph."

Making a sound of disgust, Shanoa crossed her arms and turned her back towards the magical sigil. "I'm not interested in being that naked. I don't care how powerful it is."

"You could modify its appearance through sheer will alone."

Huffing irritably she shook her head but did think on the concept a moment before she absorbed the glyph. She then ordered Albus to turn around, to which he looked like he was about to protest but stopped himself and did as asked. After transforming into one of the succubi-like creatures, Shanoa let out an audible sigh, prompting the still-turned-way Albus to laugh and ask if the form was an 'exact copy'. A disgruntled 'exact' was the retort from her.

"If you can harbor a piece of Dominus, you can modify this glyph." Crossing his arms, Albus closed his eyes. "Focus."

After a few moments of exercising her stubbornness and willpower, Shanoa managed to modify the glyph so that she wore a green full bodysuit under blue boots and bodice. Somewhat curious, she asked her partner for a 'test run' of the glyph's abilities. Once he obliged, she was soon blazing wide circles around him, utilizing high kicks, summoning bats, speedy back dashing and hovering just out of reach. The pair sparred lightly until just out of breath, calling a hold so that they could rest a moment before pressing ever onward.

The next area was an icy cave, which might at one point been some sort of aqueduct or artesian water source. Their way was blocked by a large monster brandishing what looked to be a part of a support column, and from it writhed a White Dragon bone pillar that shot fire at the two warriors when they got within range. Albus countered with his _Acerbatus_ glyph, to which the Max Shot dissipated the flames and destroyed the skeleton. On the heels of the spite spell's manifestation was Shanoa, who dashed around the colossal Enkidu, damaging its arms and legs enough so that it bucked and crushed itself under the weight of the pillar.

Exiting the cave, they descended down a small hill and continued down a path that seemed to lead onward. Along the way they found more silk thread, even more Specters and Bitterflies, and a trio of Werebats who were a combination of devious and dangerous. The melee/ranged combination duo made short work of their adversaries, afterward shooting proud looks at each other. They were shaping up into a formidable team indeed.


	7. Village Life and the Rusalka

It was late afternoon when they returned to Wygol, after having been gone for nearly three days.

Albus had insisted on taking over the hospice's small bathing chamber first, his argument being that Shanoa had been able to wash herself off decently while exploring the caves under Kalidus Channel. Though she gave him that point, Shanoa insisted that she wanted to know the instant he was finished so that she could get clean herself.  
While waiting, she visited a few of the villagers to turn in the items that they had requested. Her last stop was Monica the seamstress to drop off the cotton and silk thread that she had requested, and after receiving a few reward articles of clothing she purchased some new garments for Albus with some of the money she had earned as a finder's fee in supplying Eugen with the Iron he had requested. The rest she had put towards the smithy to upgrade her usual armor, which he would strengthen with iron backings.

After having taken the better part of an hour Albus finally emerged from the bathroom, fresh-faced and freshly clothed. Towelling off his hair, he passed Shanoa in the hallway as she returned from her errands, and mentioned that it was her turn to get clean. He then headed back to his room to grab his leather armor and shoes with the agenda to take them outside and attempt to scrub them clean.

Nodding in thanks, Shanoa headed to her room to grab a few items before heading down the hall to the private chamber for her turn for a bath. The large washbasin was just the right size for her. It comfortable to sit in, with the water up to her collarbone, her legs bent at the knees over the side and her arms propped up on the edge, and a folded-up towel as a cushion for her neck. She stared at the ceiling as she soaked, faintly smiling to herself as she mentally envisioned how disgruntled Albus's face was at that moment, as he was out back in the small yard scrubbing the hell out of his only pair of footwear. Served him right for wearing white shoes.

Reflecting on the prior day's events she realized that she never wanted to talk about the Skeleton Cave again. Hell, why as she still even thinking about it? It had literally been a cave that was 95% skeleton and bone architecture mounted on natural cave formations and carved masonry. Whatever was not actually bone was carved into the shape of a bone or skull, with the final room boasting ornate bone chandeliers and draperies.  
The place had been eerie and macabre, standing as a testament of a power play from a war some time past. The mausoleum's decay showed that it had been all but forgotten. The slats in the walls for the internment of bodies had shown evidence of grave robbery, or worse. The worse being the reanimated skeleton warriors of all sorts that had barred their passage deeper into the cave. There were leaping skeletons, sword-fighting skeletons, magic-casting skeletons, fire-breathing skeletons, t-rexing skeletons and the biggest, ugliest skeleton-boss-thing. It was composed of a multitude of huge skulls stuck together with lovely wiggly bits that bordered on the obscene side; with the way that it flagellated its multiple tube-like 'tongues' and tried to squish its enemies under its weight.  
When it was all over, there had been little reward for their efforts. Shanoa had gained a relic that boosted her jump ability, and Albus was able to glean some magical residue from the boss for his research in reanimation magic. (Strictly for theory, never practice - he had insisted.)

And as such, their three days worth of wanderings had not yielded much in the way of unlocking the mysteries around Dominus, nor did any of Albus's questions get answered. If anything, there were only more questions that had arisen.

Relaxing, Shanoa sighed and lolled her head to one side, closing her eyes as she enjoyed the smell of the soapy bubbles and the warmth of the water that enveloped her being. Such was bliss, if only for a few moments.

There was promise of an excellent dinner for them that night, as Aeon has been quite happy with the salt and raw killer fish that he had asked for. Irina had also been most pleased with their culling of the raven flock that she promised Mocha Éclairs for dessert.

After her bath, Shanoa requested Irina's help to brush out her hair and braid it, which turned out to be a bit of a painful fiasco as Irina was thorough and unforgiving on knots in hair. Scalp sore, she thanked her matronly friend and ducked back into her room to change into a pale yellow silk dress that Monica had given her in thanks for supplying her with silk thread. The garment was very comfortable and felt so smooth to the touch, the hemline cascading to her mid calves and covered her shoulder runes with cute bell cap sleeves. In all honesty she felt a bit too girly while wearing it but she knew she ought not complain. It was a gift, after all.  
Once Shanoa insisted that she did not want to wear the hat that Daniella had given her in exchange for the lighthouse sketch, Irina gave her a pair of white flat-heeled shoes and then shooed her off to Aeons' diner so that she could attend to a few chores around the infirmary, promising to pop by later with éclairs.

Shanoa headed around back of the building to see how Albus fared with his battle against caked-on crab guts. Seated on the back stoop, he had surprisingly managed to scrub his shoes into a near perfect condition. Albus's leather vest, gauntlets, gun holster, and spats -the leather coverings he wore over his shoes- were all laid out on a wooden table to dry after being cleaned, oiled and polished.

Quietly, Shanoa approached the table and ran her fingers along the front of the vest as she peered at the wing pattern that had been tooled into the leather in the space between the fastening buttons. "These designs are how you channel your abilities? They look like modified glyph work." She asked, turning her head to look over her shoulder at her still-preoccupied partner.

"As far as I can surmise," Otherwise distracted, Albus managed a quiet response while eyeing his handiwork on his left shoe. His knuckles had gone white from gripping both the scrub brush and the shoe exceedingly tight. "I didn't pick it out, it was a gift from the old man when my masters thesis was accepted by the research team. It certainly helps me move about quickly, and grants me a higher resistance to poisons and stamina drains."

Moving to the gauntlets, she noted the flame-like motifs. _"Ignis_ is inscribed on to the gauntlets, then?"

Albus nodded as he set both shoes aside. He had bought himself some brown boots from Jacob's shop, as he did not intend to walk around in socks while he waited for his favoured shoes to dry. Standing, he finally noticed that Shanoa was garbed in something different than her usual dark colours. It was also somewhat cute that she was 3-4 inches shorter due to the flat shoes she wore. Instead of the top of her head reaching his eye-level, he could have easily rested his chin on top of her head without having to crane his neck at all.

Amused, he approached her and pinched at one of her sleeve caps. "Silk? Someone is garnering expensive tastes."

"Not quite," Her reply was graced with a small smile. "Dinner wear."

"Ah, yes, we're expected at Aeon's." Albus tapped at his chin as he recalled what all he had discussed with some of the villagers earlier in the day, and what he had managed to procure as a result of turning in requested materials.

Marcel had paid him well for his photos of the Cave Troll and Yeti, and Anna had been very glad to get her cat back - rather spooked but nonetheless unharmed. Laura had been happy to receive one raw stone each of Lapis Lazuli, Emerald, Ruby and Sapphire - insisting that he ought to check out her work at the general store afterwards. Albus had seriously doubted that she could make anything that would pique his interest but perhaps she would end up making something suitable for Shanoa. Laura had eyed him thoughtfully, saying 'Still can't smile, huh...? I wonder if my skills just aren't up to it yet'. Albus had frowned and shook his head, returning that it was not her - rather that her items weren't quite suited for a gentleman. That, and both his and Shanoa's troubles ran deeper than Laura might assume. Interested, she nodded and asked a personal question regarding his love life, which he balked at and refused to answer, turning the tables on her with the same question. She grew shy as well, stating that she had someone in mind but that she was no good at talking about herself. The jeweler then became inspired to touch hearts, requesting Onyx and Diamond, which had set him a bit on edge. He had one of the two already, but was not eager to give it up just yet.

"-Shall we then?" Shanoa asked, her quiet voice snapping him out of his thoughts and allowing him to note that she was offering an arm as if she were his chaperone. With a quiet laugh, he took her arm and followed her lead to Aeon's diner.

* * *

After first course of their choices of Corn Soup or Minestrone, the main course was flamboyantly served on skewers over a cast iron pan with sizzling coals resting in it.

"And voila! Killer Fish Barbeque! Bon appetit!" Aeon looked rather pleased with himself as he set the fancy fish feast on the table between them, that was lightly seasoned and grilled to perfection.

Dinner was otherwise uneventful, aside from George parading in and insisting that he play his new melody for Shanoa in thanks of her finding him horsehair from a Nightmare. Such a dark item brought to him the composition of a hauntingly powerful melody, that made the pair of fighters feel invincible against all odds. At least until he settled down and thought it humorous to play something a bit more romantic. Shanoa's cheeks flushed slightly as she poked at the last bits of her meal, considering to herself that she should later sabotage the violin.

Thankfully things returned to some semblance of normal when Irina brought in a tray of mocha éclairs, sharing them also with the composer and the chef. Serge and Anna accompanied her, each grabbing an éclair and taking a seat next to the former-Ecclesians.  
Anna leaned her head against Shanoa's arm, content with sitting next to the warrior-lady that she had come to look up to. Glancing down at the girl, Shanoa gave a soft smile, moving her arm around to rest on Anna's shoulder, scooting to sit closer to her young fan.  
Serge and Albus were in the meanwhile engaged in a conversation about outdoor games, with the boy asking about hide-and-go-seek and other such pursuits. Albus seemed to enjoy himself, allowing a laugh to escape as he promised Serge that he would play blindfold tag with him sometime soon.

Soon enough, the rest of the villagers found themselves intrigued by the sounds of merriment at the diner, the resulting conversation and camaraderie strengthening the sense of community between the people.

* * *

It was nearly midnight when the small party ended. Everyone wandered back to their own homes, both contented with food and social interaction.

Though the warrior pair found themselves reinvigorated, rather than tired out. On their way back to the infirmary, Albus asked Shanoa if she were interested in playing a drinking game with the rest of the palinka they had not touched since it had been nicked from the cellar. Lacking anything better to do, Shanoa agreed and soon they were sitting in Albus's room on the floor. A lone candle in a brass holder was placed between them, Albus leaned against the chair by the desk, and Shanoa propped herself up against the edge of the cot. The game they settled on was a version of 'never have I ever', but in Shanoa's case it was modified to 'would you ever'. It started inane and got increasingly silly as the shots of the strong brandy went right to their heads.

Shanoa wished she could have laughed harder at the 'Would you ever wrestle a bear' question, for whatever reason the sheer notion of such a thing was beyond hilarious -but all she could do was force a smile and a small chuckle... and at least she could state that she found it hilarious.  
But then she put things to a halt when she asked Albus if he had ever been in love. He looked serious for a moment, then rolled his eyes and took a swig from the bottle to signify 'yes'. When she tried to push a follow up question he shook his head and said that it was his turn. His return question was 'would you do this all over again?', which she considered for a good ten seconds before motioning with one hand that she wanted the bottle. She smiled and took a long sip, wiping her mouth with the back of one hand.

"I would. Even though we're at a bit of a crossroads in terms of morality, and we're stuck in our current quest - I don't think I'd trade this for... oh wait, I did." Shanoa grew a bit dark, considering the sacrifice of her memories and emotions for the life she was living at that moment. "Have you ever regretted what happened that day?" She asked, stone-faced.

Albus sighed and looked at her somewhat helplessly. "I would need several casks of brandy for that one."

Relaxing her expression, Shanoa felt a twinge of pity as she handed the bottle back to him. "A sip is enough. -I'm sorry, that wasn't very fair."

"It's all right. You can ask me nearly anything." The reply was soft, but a hint of a smile had graced it.

A nod from the female warrior, and a pointed finger at her comrade. "Your turn, though."

"All right, then. Would you ever lie to me to spare my feelings?" Albus asked, suddenly returning to a more playful nature.

With a comedic frown, Shanoa motioned for the bottle, not breaking eye contact with him as she swilled down more of the liquid.

"Wonderful." He scoffed, though he then shook his head and laughed a bit. Standing, he excused himself for a moment and left the room.

Alone with her thoughts for the moment, Shanoa let the warming sensation from the alcohol rising in her cheeks flow outward and lull her into an intoxicated bliss. She closed her eyes and put her head back for a moment, ignoring how heavy her head felt and the spinning sensation that followed her into the darkness.

When she opened her eyes again, time seemed to have jumped forward to dawn. So much for only taking a moment's rest. Realizing she was on her side, she figured that she must have laid down and nodded off at some point. The rest of the evening was blank, which did not sit well with her, only because the very idea of having any 'missing' time still edged on the painful side in regards to her... mental condition.  
Her eyes opened wide suddenly as she realized she was not just lying down, but also that she was curled up on the cot next to Albus. Her brain stopped working for a moment, but not in a way that a persons' mind might if they found themselves in a serious predicament. Were she to have awoken to a stranger next to her she would have made a fuss, but this was not a someone unfamiliar. This was Albus, her mentor and combat partner, and... well, whatever he was, she knew he cared for her a lot and that sat just fine with her. Plus the more she thought on it, she realized she felt no awkwardness, or giddiness, or embarrassment. She just felt... comfortable.

That fact alone struck her as odd. Though they had lived, trained, and journeyed together, there ought to have been some lingering apprehension about their close proximity… should there not?

What _had_ they been, exactly, before she lost her memories?

With a sigh, Shanoa lay still for a bit longer and assessed her situation. They were both fully clothed, sans armor, and she remembered that both their armor sets were out of commission. She lay on her right side and arm, almost dangling over the edge of the cot, for the other occupant took up most of the space as he was lying on his back. Her head was nestled atop his left shoulder, and his arm was loosely wrapped over and around her. Her free arm lay on his chest, with her left hand clasped in his right hand.

Unlacing her fingers from his, she looked up to see if she had awoken him, which she had. Mentally she made a note that he was a light sleeper, which was suiting of his hunter-esque nature.

Albus glanced down at her, expressionless; mouth twitching as if he were about to speak.

Trying to turn the encounter humorous, Shanoa squinted at him as she whispered, "Why are you in my room?"

"Excuse you," He whispered back, giving her a flat look. "You're in my room."

Oh. Oops. For a moment she had honestly thought she was in her room. "Ah."

"Ah," He mocked quietly, giving her a nudge. "Get a move on, before you're found absent."

"Why are you making such a fuss -" A little taken aback by his harshness, she nearly fell on the floor as she wriggled out from under his arm. Standing, a thought crossed her mind and she grinned devilishly while gathering her sandals that she had unceremoniously kicked across the room at an earlier point. "Oh. I get it. You don't want your proper gentleman reputation tarnished, hmm?" She wagged her eyebrows a bit, which warranted a scowl from him.

Rolling over in a huff to face the wall, Albus retorted, "I'm the one who's going to get an earful if anyone gets the wrong idea."

"Oh?" A twinkle of mischief appeared in Shanoa's eyes as she readied herself to mercilessly tease her combat partner. "So the fancy scholar does has someone waiting at home for him?"

"I have no home, the old man saw to that." Albus muttered, staring at the wall. "And I _assure_ you that _no one_ is pining away for my return."

"Fine, fine." So much for teasing the poor boy. Shanoa shook her head as she closed the door to Albus's room. Though she felt bad for him, she could not help but be somewhat amused by his melodrama. She had debated leaving her shoes in the room as revenge, but decided against it. She would harass him later.

Which she did over breakfast, but only a little.

"So. Are we going to talk about it, or...?" She asked quietly, leaning over the table in her attempts to not to be overheard by Irina, who noisily rattled about the infirmary's kitchen as she prepared ingredients for a hearty soup meant for lunchtime.

Glancing up at her briefly, Albus frowned and went back to perusing the book in his hands. "There's nothing to discuss."

"Honest?" She gripped her teacup tightly and stared at the sediment at the bottom of the cup.

"Quite." He replied dryly, reaching for what was probably his fifth piece of toast that morning, likely his means of dodging conversation.

"For the record," She paused and glanced over at Irina quickly, who left the room to head down to the pantry. "You're quite comfortable."

Albus took in a breath and whatever he was going to say just... never came out, so he simply pretended to be annoyed and shook his head at her in dismissal.

Shanoa gave a cheeky smile as she hopped up out of her chair the moment Irina left the room, pilfered a cookie from the pile (meant for after dinner that day), and sat back down with a satisfied look and the tasty morsel already shoved halfway into her mouth. Albus had watched with interest and was about to inform her that she was asking for trouble, when he was beaten to the punch.

"Shanoa!" Irina stood in the doorway shaking her head. Though she crossed her arms at the rascally antics, there was an amused look on her face.

Even though the stunned look Shanoa's face was priceless, she soon flattened her expression and pointed across the table to Albus in accusation. "He entranced me with his strange powers and made me do it!"

Albus nearly spit out his tea at her utterance; the resulting expression on his face, a mix of irradiation and wide-eyed panic, was also priceless. Before he could get a word in edgewise, Irina smacked the back of his head gently in mock-punishment as she passed by him and over to Shanoa, whose ear she tugged at so she could better lecture the young lady on etiquette.

When both were thoroughly admonished, the way they silently glared at each other across the table caused Irina to laugh and state that she now had four children.

* * *

Once breakfast was over, Albus trudged himself back to his room to gather a few of his things before heading to the clearing to test out some of his more volatile theories. He did not want to put any holes in the small infirmary, let alone upset anyone with any unintended ruckus. That and his other string of theories would require him getting his hands on some medical and herbal equipment that he was sure Abram would be loathe to lend him - if he didn't interrogate him on the intent.  
On his way back into the hallway, he nearly ran into Shanoa when he hurriedly closed his door behind him. She asked what the plan was for the day and he informed her that she had the day off. Suspicious, she looked at him and asked what he was up to - not in a demanding manner but more in her usual inquisitive and genuinely-interested sort of fashion - which was on the difficult side to brush off. Steeling himself, Albus shook his head and told her that he had some hypotheses to test out of town, and that he should like to conduct his research alone. Mostly for safety reasons.  
The rebuttal he received was a not-that-convincingly-concerned query as to how Shanoa would know if he was alright or not. His own response was a sarcastic 'If I'm not back by dinner, then you know something went wrong'.

"Besides," Albus added, taking a step past her. "You can't just hang around _me_ all the time. Go be social. Make friends."

Crossing her arms, Shanoa tried to muster a scowl, which looked less intimidating and more like her breakfast was not sitting right. "And what about you? Holing yourself in your room with your nose in your books?"

"I've been social enough with these people. Besides, I have a lot of ground to cover if I'm going to get to the bottom of these Dominus questions." In his typical manner, his expression had darkened, but he forced a smile and gave a wave before continuing down the hall.

With a huff, Shanoa headed to her own room and collected a few items before setting out to find her own source of amusement.

She visited the village elder Daniela first, with the intent of dropping off the sketch of the view from Minera Isle's lighthouse, but stayed for far longer. The elder woman had been so happy to receive such a gift, for her senility had kicked in and she did not recall ever requesting it. To thank Shanoa, she insisted that she stay for tea and pound cake, which the younger woman agreed to readily as she had no other plans at the moment.

"What about that rascal from before? Will he be joining us?"

"No, he regrettably has pressing matters to attend to today."

"A shame. I promised him a cake..." Daniella nodded, and bade her guest to sit in the living room before shuffling off to the kitchen to prepare tea. "Such are gentleman - always passionate about the rare few things that amuse them."

Waiting patiently, Shanoa looked around the snug abode, noting its warmth and comfort. Daniela returned momentarily with a tea tray and set it down on the coffee table.

"I just had a feeling that you might be coming. I wonder why." As Daniela poured tea for her guest she started polite conversation. "Perhaps we're distant relatives, by chance? Where were you born?"

Shanoa shook her head dismissively. "I'm sorry, but I don't remember."

"Oh, that's fine. Where you were born isn't a big deal. What's important is where you die. I want to die near the falls at Tristis Pass." The elder paused, but rather than look sad she had a peaceful look upon her face. "Grandfather and I used to train there. Now, it's where he rests... Oh, won't you do a drawing of that waterfall? I'm sure you'd do a beautiful job."

"Another drawing?" Shanoa asked, looking up from her cup.

"Please. A drawing of Tristis Pass waterfall. I'll look forward to it." Again Daniella looked at the scenery sketch that Shanoa had done of the view from the lighthouse and commented on the finery of it and how moving it was to her.

Admittedly, Shanoa couldn't fathom how something she had drawn could bring such a reaction. "I don't understand... I...I lost my emotions."

"Did you really? I never noticed." The elder was honest, looking at her guest with a compassionate expression. "But yes, if you live for a long time, you tend to lose all sorts of things. ...I've lost a lot of things. But the saddest was when I lost Grandfather. I cried till my tears ran out." Daniella paused and mused aloud that Tristis Pass was near Oblivion Ridge.

"Say, won't you draw the church where I lost Grandfather? It's on Oblivion Ridge, and there's a tiny cross there. It's sad, but I want to make sure I remember it. If you draw it, I'll be able to remember both you and Grandfather."

Shanoa agreed, a small part of her having become somewhat glad that her drawing 'skills' had been well-received. She spent the better part of an hour with Daniela but it had seemed like far longer, in part due to her lack of any appropriate topics of conversation. And as such, she could not even small talk about herself all that much due to her memory loss, which her host did not seem to mind.  
Once they had run out of polite conversation, she excused herself and thanked her host for the tea and cake. Before she left, she was given some cake to take back for Albus, and given a fancy hat as thanks for the lighthouse sketch.

Biding a polite farewell later, Shanoa headed down to Laura's shop for a short visit, and to see what the jewelcrafter had in stock. When she was informed that Laura's wares were always sent to Jacob to sell for a cut, Shanoa stayed for a complimentary tarot reading.

"Oh my, it seems… it's a lucky day for you today." Laura noted, flipping over a few cards in the simpler 3-card reading style. Had Shanoa felt like laughing skeptically, she would have. Her face betrayed her, regardless, as the other woman's brow furrowed lightly before smiling plainly. "That is what the tarot cards say."

The bell at the front door chimed as Monica entered the workshop, in her usual timid fashion, glancing around nervously before heading towards the other two women.

"I, uh, had originally come to ask you a huge favour, Miss Laura," She managed to stammer out after a few moments of silent.

"How might I be of service?" The jeweler smiled again, patiently awaiting the young woman's response.

"Well, you see, I had come to ask you to help me with a dress commission that I have to finish - I need a live model for this one, but I think you're a tad too…" She trailed off, blushing and looking at the floor. "Ah, um, well-endowed. …Miss Shanoa would be a better match, now that I look at her."

Laura's expression went blank for a moment and then she let loose melodious laughter. "Let's get to it, then."

Before Shanoa knew what was happening, she found herself in Monica's shop, modelling the most elaborate white dress she had ever seen in her life, forlornly looking on as the seamstress fussed over the hems and final details.

Laura had brought some jewelry with her and a tiara, also flitting around Shanoa as she placed them in their proper places of adornment. Then somehow Irina and Anna had caught wind of the Shanoa-dress-up movement and showed up - Anna took to loose-braiding the ends of Shanoa's tresses and tying it up with a soft-yellow ribbon, and Irina produced a pair of heels with little blue wing adornments that she insisted Shanoa put on.

As accommodating and patient as the warrior was, she desperately wanted to escape her situation, despite what her stone-faced exterior may have otherwise indicated.

It was about then that Albus popped into Monica's shop for another shirt, as he had put a few singed holes and a lengthy gash into the sleeves of the one he wore. Upon seeing the women in a fuss about something he had been half-tempted to sneak out quietly but found himself unable to move when his eyes locked on to Shanoa's when she noticed him, and shot him the faintest 'help me' look.

Clearing his throat he forced himself to maintain a nonchalant air and crossed his arms as he approached. "Well... Having fun playing dress-up, ladies?"

Monica looked up from the work she was doing on the hem to Shanoa's left side, nodding quietly in response as she had a few pins sticking out of her mouth.

Eyeing his combat partner with a smirk, Albus then put forth a suggestion. "All we need to do now is find a nice boy to marry her off to, and she'll be out of my hair."

Everyone, save Shanoa, laughed good-naturedly.

Monica then piped up, "Well, you're a nice boy..."

The others were still chuckling, but soon peals of laughter escaped them after he retorted while gesturing at Shanoa, "Hah, she doesn't think so!" to which Shanoa crossed her arms and narrowed her eyes, only fueling the humor of the moment further.

"All right, all right." Albus made a dismissive motion for everyone to quiet down. "Seriously, I need to purchase a few more shirts from you, Miss Monica."

The young seamstress nodded silently and hustled off to see if she had any more cotton shirts on hand in his size.

Crossing his arms, Albus lightly reprimanded the other ladies. "As for the rest of you: just because she's taking everything you're throwing at her, doesn't necessarily mean she likes it."

Irina put her hands on her hips, slightly put off by the lecture. "If there was an issue, I imagine she would have _said_ something."

One of Albus's eyebrows quirked and he fought with himself to refrain from sassing the older woman that she should not act like she knew Shanoa better than he did. Thankfully he was able to keep his mouth shut as Shanoa had taken the moment to speak up for herself.

"Well," She said quietly, giving Irina and the others an apologetic glance. "Dresses don't suit me... but you all looked like you were having fun, so I didn't want to say anything."

While Laura, Irina and Anna apologized to Shanoa, Monica returned with a few folded shirts and handed them to Albus, telling him he need not worry about payment as long as they found her some cashmere thread. He thanked her politely, bid everyone a good night and exited the shop.

Laura put a hand to her chin in thought, muttering aside to Shanoa that she thought he could be quite awful - but liked the way that he looked. Shaking her head, Shanoa let out a sigh and told the jeweler 'good luck' if she wanted to pursue 'that one'.

After dinnertime of that same evening, the 'boys' of the village, being Marcel and George, caught wind of Albus's humorous side and tried to pay him a visit at the hospice to ask him to join them on a fishing trip the next morning. They were initially turned away as he had locked himself in his room and refused to speak to anyone, his excuse being his studies.

Emerging from her room at the ruckus, Shanoa joined the two men in the hallway and sighed at the closed door of her combat partner's room. She muttered that he would get over whatever it was that was bothering him, soon, and that she would see to it that he joined them on their excursion. Thankful, Marcel and George bid her a 'good evening' and took their leave.

Hearing everything from inside his room, Albus grimaced inwardly. He was not so much bothered by the concept of being social but the very fact that he would have to get up at the crack of dawn to head out with the other gentlemen. Plus they wanted to try their hand at saltwater fishing, so they had a long trek ahead of them to reach the seashore.

* * *

The next day was rather uneventful until sometime around noon George snagged something rather large and when the three of them combined managed to haul it closer to shore they were rather surprised to find a water demon tugging at the lure. The blue female-formed demon, also known as a Rusalka, hissed and threw her flipper-like arms into the air, calling out 'maelstrom' as she summoned a contained tidal wave; sending it crashing towards the men standing on shore.

Albus barked 'Tickets, NOW!' at George and Marcel, thankful that they used their Magical Tickets to escape just before Albus himself was hit with a wall of icy sea water.

Holding his ground, he remained somewhat upright as he was swept backwards by the force, heels digging trenches through the sand. When the water receded he once again looked like a soaked cat, back arched in a similar manner and his face bearing a terrible scowl.  
Wet firing flints not being a problem for his spell shots, he leapt forward with Agartha drawn and fired a barrage of his different shots at the demon. She dodged and wove between them with ease, hurling icy blasts of wind and water in return at her equally hard to hit opponent.  
The two combatants eventually came to a stalemate when both realized that the other would go no further than a certain point - Albus's no return point being calf-deep water and the Rusalka's being chest-height water.

Frustrated, the demon hissed again and sank into the water.

Wary, Albus backed up on to the shore and kept his keen eyes trained on the water's surface for a long time, expecting a sneak attack one he had finally been waited-out.

Shanoa hustled up the beach some twenty minutes later, having hustled towards the sea shore after being given directions by the rather frantic Marcel and George. When she drew closer to her partner, he put out a hand to stop her from advancing any further.

"Keep it quiet," Albus whispered, not turning from his vigil.

"What have we got?" She asked, remaining to the right and behind him a few steps.

"Water demon. I don't know if she's returned to her lair or not."

Nodding, Shanoa crossed her arms and then put one had to her chin in thought. She understood why Albus was still on the shore - there was no way in hell he was going down into the reef to fight that demon. She asked for a description of her target and nodded, accepting her 'mission'. If she were to be completely honest, she was a bit on the excited side as she was itching to test out her abilities on her own against a more powerful adversary.

"Ah, cover me while I switch gear," She stated, looking around defensively before starting to unlatch her breastplate.

Albus remained on his vigil of the water's surface, listening to the wind and the waves while also vaguely registering the sounds Shanoa made as she changed into the more waterproof rubber 'suit'.

"Here I go." She stated once she was fully equipped again, taking a stance next to him. "Wish me luck."

"Remember what I said last time-"

"Magical Ticket if it gets too hairy." She huffed and mustered a small smile. "-I've got this."

"Go get her. Good luck!"

"Thank you." She nodded, impressed by how quickly he had caved. Unless he was about to spring something else stubborn and infuriating on her. "If all goes well I'll meet you back here. I'd like to see what nightfall looks like over the sea."

Albus nodded and murmured 'It's a date', and Shanoa gave him a little wave before charging into the water.

* * *

Mission finally complete, Shanoa headed back through the sea caves under Somnus Reef. The battle against Rusalka had been fierce but she had managed to persevere through the tidal waves, falling stalactites, and the lashing strikes from the demon itself. In the end, victory had gone to the human warrior.

The caves were about as eventful as the underside of Kalidus Channel, however everything seemed to be rather poisonous. On more than on occasion she found herself swilling back an antidote, head swimming from the battle her body waged against the toxins. Otherwise, she had managed to stumble across Silver Ore for Eugen, a fair amount of coin, meat of Tasty and Merman variety for Eugen and Abram, managed to upgrade her Axe and Bow glyphs to _Vol_ level, and salvaged a reinforced suit from a sunken chest. It was a bit large for her, but she kept it in case Albus might have a use for it.

Surfacing a ways out from the shore, Shanoa immediately took notice that evening had fallen and stars were starting to twinkle in the darkening sky. Her eyes darted to the water's edge, catching the silhouette of Albus further along the beach. He had already gotten a small fire started, bless him.

Fatigue suddenly washed over her like the waves of the sea. She did her best to swim onward, letting herself be pushed along. The effects of her strenuous undersea ventures compounded and caused her legs to give out from under her once she was closer to shore. Exhausted, she fell on all fours with her hands bracing her from falling face-first into the calf-deep water. Albus appeared at her side almost instantly, asking if she was injured.

"No, I'm fine... just more tired-out than I thought." She flopped on to her back and let her arms fall to either side of her, the tides washing her hair askew around her. "I think I'm just going to lay down here for a while."

"I think not." Albus crossed his arms and shook his head at her, trying to ignore how increasingly wet he was getting. "Let's get you to shore." He stooped to pick her up in his arms, immediately noting the frown she gave him.

"See, I told you I'd be fine." She muttered quietly, her only form of protest for the moment.

"I believed you," He replied just as softly as he trudged his way up the moonlit beach. "But I'd be lying if I said I wasn't concerned."

"I know." Nodding, she resting her head against his chest. "Thank you."

'Mhmm' sounded from him in return before he spoke again. "Thank _you_ for succeeding where I failed to perform."

A smirk found its way across Shanoa's mouth, though her eyes had closed and remained that way. "You owe me one, then."

"How adorable. No." Albus laughed quietly and shook his head. A few moments later he set her down on the sand near the small campfire. "I'm going to look for some more dead-fall for the fire. Do you have any spare clothes on hand? Don't want you to catch a cold."

"No, but I'll be fine. I'll dry off soon." Her usual clothes had gotten wet when she had pulled them out in search of an antidote bottle earlier in her quest.

"Shanoa." He dropped to one knee beside her, gazing at her pointedly. His tone had been serious.

"Albus." She parroted, her own look flattening. They glared silently at each other for a few tense seconds, until she conceded with a sigh. "All right, fine. I think I have a dress from Monica that is still dry."

Reaching over to pat her on the shoulder, Albus, grinning cheekily, gave her a condescending quip of 'good girl' before he rose to his feet and headed off to scout for more firewood.

Once alone, Shanoa reached for her inventory pouch and rooted around for a change of clothes. Truth be told, her damp dress was getting rather heavy and sitting out in the night air in soaking garments was indeed becoming a bit chilly.  
The only item she seemed to have on-hand that was dry was a cotton dress, which looked more like a shift or nightgown rather than a viable day garment. With a sigh, she unfastened the ties around her neck and waist that held her breast plate in position. Setting the body armor on the ground next to her, she brought her knees up a little closer to her chest and reached for the buckles on her boots. Once the matching iron armor pieces were all resting together on the sand, she stood and shrugged her long leather boots down to her ankles and stepped out of them. The feeling of the sand between her toes was liberating and enjoyable. She wiggled her feet a bit then moved to wring out sections of her hair, surprised at the amount of water her dark locks had retained. Hair somewhat lighter, she ducked into the tree line to quickly change from her battle attire and into dry clothes and undergarments.  
The light cotton dress was soft, light, and comfortable but barely reached her knees. Oh well. Considering that her usual outfit had a thigh-high slit, there was no way the light garment would be much less decent than the other one. Hopefully her over-protective partner would not make too big a fuss. Slipping on sandals, she returned to the campfire to lay out her usual dress and boots so they could dry, using her armor for weights to keep her favoured outfit from blowing away in the shifting winds. The rubber suit was much heavier and was left to dry flat without weights. Task done, Shanoa sat in the sand near the fire and hugged her legs close, resting her chin on top of her knees.

Albus returned some minutes later with assorted pieces of wood and added some of them to the fire. Putting some larger branches aside for later, he sat next to Shanoa and asked if she felt any better, to which she replied that she did although was still a little chilly. She had started braiding sections of her hair and was fixated on the task. Albus likewise occupied himself with breaking up twigs for kindling, giving a soft laugh before telling her to sit closer to the fire.

"If I sit any closer to the fire, I'm going to be in the fire." She retorted, staring at the burning wood that was barely two feet away. Her vision blurred a little, worrying her slightly. The jellyfish poison must have affected her worse than she had assumed, even after taking an antidote.

Her companion offered that she could run up and down the shoreline a few times to dry off. It was a good idea in theory but she was too tired to move any more than she had to, and she stated as much to him.

With a sigh, Albus muttered that they should add a small blanket to their inventory, while he scooted behind her and instructed her to lean back. She turned a bit to her right and complied, resting against him as he draped his arms around her to partly shield her from the wind.

"Better?" He asked quietly after a few moments of silence had passed.

"Yeah," Shanoa nodded, smiling to herself and feeling a bit like a child being comforted by their parent.

It sat as a warm sensation and not an 'Albus being crazy-overprotective' sort of feeling. The bonus being that he did not say anything else as they sat and watched the waves as night fell around them.

After some time, Shanoa felt herself drifting off, but her vision blurred further and a wave of both heat and nausea hit her, her heartbeat quickening alarmingly fast. What was going on? Trying to speak up, her voice caught in her throat and everything faded to black.


	8. Judgement Fever

**Author's note: **In case it needs to be said, this chapter contains events from _Castlevania:Judgement. _

* * *

Eyes opening, Shanoa found herself standing in what looked to be the ruins of a village. Was it Wygol? Oh no... what had happened? And where was everyone?

Taking in a calming breath, the warrior mentally lectured herself that panicking would not solve anything. '_Perhaps it's just a nightmare_' She thought, then noticed that she was wearing the 'battle nun' attire again. Plus the wimple and veil. Damn it.  
Looking objectively at her surroundings she was able to piece together that she stood in the remains of a place of worship, and whatever had happened in the area had long since happened for there were no corpses or skeletons strewn about and most other remains of textiles and other degradable materials were too far-gone to identify.

"The ravages of time are apparent here..." Shanoa mused aloud, and then something clicked in her mind. "Ravages of time. So... _when_ am I?"

"If anything," An unfamiliar voice responded, its owner materializing before her; a young man with silvery hair and a dapper white suit, wielding a weapon that looked to be some sort of offspring of a battle mace, ornate sword and a pocket watch. "You're right on time. Welcome to the time rift."

Shanoa eyed the stranger, noting his relaxed stance and did not consider him an immediate threat. "What is this place? I have a task I must complete."

The enigmatic being leaned forward on his 'clock', somewhat amused by her urgency. "This is an alternate universe. You must pass a series of trials in order to gain passage out."

"Is that so... Then it appears I have no choice."

"My name is Aeon." He gave a slight bow as he introduced himself. "Shanoa, correct? Raised by the Order of Ecclesia, which has developed a method of forging energy into magical figures called Glyphs. It seems I've interrupted your pursuit of a traitor to your Order - you will be returned from whence you came, in due time."

Brow furrowing, Shanoa looked at Aeon in light puzzlement. "The latter part is incorrect."

Aeon did not show any reaction when he paused to pull a small white notebook from one of his pockets and flipped through it before and stopping on a page. Only then did he quirk a brow.  
"Oh dear, it seems I've pulled you from the alternate timeline... we hadn't expected that Albus would actually take you along with him, so that time stream has largely been ignored." He closed his notebook and returned it to his pocket.

"This will make things interesting. Especially if you meet your other self." When Shanoa asked the time-errant being what he meant, he shrugged and his mannerisms became rather coy. "I won't say for sure. Is she your old self? A representation of your memories? Or is she what you could have become?"

Shanoa thought for a moment and realized that aside from testing her strength, her goal now included conversing with another version of herself for advice and answers.

Noting the warrior's resolution, the time guardian smiled and asked, "Shall we begin the first trial"?

Nodding in agreement, Shanoa dropped into a low guarded stance and awaited the first attack. Aeon, too, seemed to be more on guard -then again he was testing her so it was only natural that he would await her first attack as well. After rolling her shoulders, she dashed at him, her _Secare_ blades dancing into view as they sliced outward. Aeon dodged, moving much like Albus using his warp abilities, causing Shanoa to smile as she lashed out with her _Hasta_ lance into the space where she expected Aeon to reappear. She almost hit him, for when he did reappear, the lance struck the space between his ribcage and arm, to which he coiled his arm around her weapon and wrenched it from her grasp, causing it to disintegrate.  
Taking her turn to be amused, Shanoa back flipped away from Aeon and shot at him with her _Arcus _bow. Again he dodged, and flew at her in a blaze of wind and light -but was stopped short as he had the misfortune of being knocked for a loop by two large stone fists, for Shanoa had called upon 'anything' defensive and was quite surprised to see that she had summoned such things.  
The time guardian shook his head and stood up, brushing off the bits of terracotta that stuck to his hair and clothing. He gave a chuckle and readied himself again. Shanoa felt terrible for hitting him, only for about two seconds, but she had felt bad nonetheless. She would have to see what else was hiding up her glyph sleeves after the battle.

Their fight continued for a few more minutes, with her sticking to her _Secare_ swords to counter the strikes that Aeon made with his bladed watch contraption.

Finally, he called 'time', and praised her efforts. Looking at his pocket watch, he gestured to a path that veered into a dark forest while telling her that the road was now open, and that she ought to search for that which she longed for.  
With a nod, Shanoa took a couple of steps towards the road. She turned and started to say 'thank you' to Aeon, but trailed off once she turned back and saw that he had disappeared.

* * *

Wandering the forest, she soon came across another person, a leather-clad and bandage-wrapped man who flipped about the trees with ease. He bore a few daggers and throwing knives, things she knew little on how to wield. Yet. She followed from the ground, and approached cautiously once he had stopped and finally noticed that there was someone else nearby.

"Such agility... You're no ordinary man." She stated, crossing her arms and relaxing her stance as a sign of neutrality.

Hopping down from his perch, he seemed a bit pleased by the compliment and shrugged as if it were no big deal. "Noticed that, did ya? I'm the guy who trounced Dracula. Name's Grant Danasty."

"You defeated Dracula?" Shanoa asked, eyebrows raising a bit. What luck. Perhaps this warrior could give her insight on how to become stronger. "Then I request a match with you."

"Whoa whoa now, listen. I mean, I had a little help from my pal Trevor…"

"I wish to measure my strength. Come, let's begin."

Grant had little time to protest before he found himself dodging her first attack but he chuckled to himself under his breath and went along with the lady's wishes. Within moments of instigating the duel, Shanoa found herself wishing she had copied _Rapidus Fio_ from Albus, as she would have fared much better against such an agile opponent. She was forced to make due with a similar ability that allotted her short bursts of speed, but it was not fast enough, for Grant flitted about and whittled down her stamina with each small hit from his _Dagger Storm_ and _Thousand Edges_ attacks. She managed to land a few counters with _Secare_, but he shrugged off any of the few hits she managed, and rolled with the blows. Deciding to get a little more serious she jumped up, summoning _Ignis_ forward and blasted out a barrage of fire from both hands. A side effect of the attack left her oddly warm throughout... Strange.

Grant had not stopped his attack in time and was promptly set on fire. He rolled in the dirt to put out his flaming bandages, taking minimal damage but all the same it killed his fighting mood.

"Ah! Lady, that was NOT fair!" He sputtered, standing, and oblivious to parts of his gear that were still smoking.

"Surely Dracula is not so easily defeated..." Shanoa joked dryly, stepping closer and wetting her left thumb and forefinger on her tongue before snuffing out a little flame that had remained alight on a tuft of Grant's hair.

"Yeah, well, like I said. I had help." He was a bit embarrassed to admit it, after playing it so cool beforehand. Shanoa figured that it served him right for grandstanding. "There was four of us in total, but we managed it all the same."

"Thank you. It's been... illuminating." Shanoa nodded as she thanked him for the battle. Then as an afterthought she apologized for setting him on fire. Scratching at the back of his head shyly, he accepted her compassionate words.

Agreeing to travel onward for at least a little bit, if only for some amicable company in between battles they soon found their way into some crystallized caves. Exploring the main cavern, which sported what looked to be ancient aqueducts along the furthest expanses, they met up with another warrior; a white and blue-clad woman who appeared to be of church clergy.

"Sypha?!" Grant called out, his eyes lighting up at the sight of her.

"Who are you?" She demanded while brandishing her staff defensively.

"Ah… so you're from a time before you met me or Trevor…"

Shanoa felt a bad for her companion, but found herself with more pressing matters occupying her time as the fabled Belnades warrior had strode up towards her glaring daggers and speaking in an accusatory tone. "The energy you radiate... it's that of a vampire!"

Blinking, Shanoa offered the best answer she could. "I do not know. I know only that I possess the power to defeat them."

"You cannot hide the truth. I can feel it." Sypha leapt back and charged a spell.

Judging by the sudden chill in the air, Shanoa guessed she was about to get blasted with an ice bolt. Summoning _Arcus_, she leveled it with Sypha's right arm. "You'll not be satisfied with any explanation..."

"In the name of persecuted witches everywhere, I cannot let this pass!" The other woman exclaimed, encasing herself in a defensive ice spike wall as she rushed forward.

Grant, in the meanwhile, had high-tailed it out of the way to find himself a nice safe spot in which to watch the magically-gifted ladies get their fight on.

"My power is not meant to be used against the likes of you." Shanoa remarked as she dodge-rolled away and knocked a couple of holes in the witch's defenses with her arrows.

Considering that she ought to fight magic with magic, she called upon _Ignis_ and melted another gap into the circle, allowing her to get close. A mistake, as she was promptly electrocuted the instant she touched the other woman. Crumpling to the ground due to her knees buckling, Shanoa grunted and fought to control her breathing.

"All who wield the dark arts must pay the price." Sypha looked down at her, a deep frown painting her features.

"I'm not done yet." Shanoa gave her opponent a smirk as she dodge-rolled away when her senses returned. "Wind! Tear her apart!" She roared as she stood, tossing a forceful gale from her _Pneuma_ glyph.

Retreating a safe distance back and blocking with a refreshed ice wall, Sypha cast several icicle blades before she charged again, a volley of fireballs leading the way. Having had quite enough of the misinterpretation, Shanoa called forth one stone _Lapiste_ fist and blind-sided the witch - the spell having crushed her ice wall and ignored the electric aura around her. Stunned, Sypha rolled off to the side, her book and staff strewn about but within reach. She wavered as she got back to her feet, reaching to collect her effects. Shanoa had not advanced after her attack, watching coldly. With a frown, the Belnades warrior found a renewed vigor as she leapt back and called out that she would not forget their fight any time soon and ran for the entrance of the caverns.  
Grant emerged from of his hiding spot and called after her, glanced at Shanoa helplessly for a moment before he was gestured at by the other woman to follow Sypha. With a wave he then tore after the church-bound witch.

Alone, Shanoa folded her arms lightly and sighed. So much for someone keeping her company. But she decided to explore the crystal caves a bit before leaving, finding nothing of interest aside from the beautiful scenery of large transparent stalagmites and sparkling, clear water.  
When she came across a waterfall, she stared at her reflection in it a moment... and then considered that it was not a reflection, but a person on the other side. A hand that was garbed in a sleeve similar to hers reached out through the waterfall and grabbed on to her collar, causing enough disarming surprise that allowed her to be pulled through and into a dimly lit cave on the other side. The ice cold water came as a sudden relief to her overheated self, and she shivered a little as she took in the sight before her. It was like looking into a mirror, but this reflection, this person, was icy-eyed and devoid of emotion. She wore the same clothes as her but with a white and indigo colour palette accented with gold details and lace.

"A double? I won't let you stop me." The 'dry' Shanoa stated, stone faced.

"I'm not here to stop you." 'Wet' Shanoa offered, trying to give her other self a sincere smile.

That caused the other her to rush forward and grab her forcefully by the collar with both hands. "How did you unlock your emotions?"

"I didn't, really. I was shown how to mimic them by Albus and the children in Wygol."

The other Shanoa's eyes widened, and what could have easily been anger affected her vocal volume. "You've sided with that traitor?!"

The Albus-friendly Shanoa's expression went dark. "He's not what you think."

The other released her grip and backed away. "You're just a shadow, an image put here to cause me doubt. To stall my mission."

"Shanoa..." It felt weird to say the name aloud, let alone to be addressing herself, so to speak. "We're both... real. We're two sides of a coin. I am the you that wasn't left behind."

"Enough of your tricks!" Brandishing _Hasta_, the other launched towards her. "My master never covered this, but I judge you my enemy!"

The two Ecclesia-trained warriors battled in the small confines fiercely; burns, cuts and bruises heavily sustained by both parties, even when they took their fight into the crystal caves.

Eventually, the 'alternate' Shanoa won out with a lucky strike from two powerful attacks she did not know she had; a pair of rather bitey _Custos_ wolf-head gyphs. As her other self fell, she grabbed a hold of her and clutched the other woman close.

"Which of us is real? With no memory... does it matter?" The emotionless Shanoa sighed, struggling to keep her eyes open.

Gripping one of her hands, the other quietly murmured "You are the blade that dispels the darkness."

Sighing as she expired, the defeated Shanoa fell slack in the other's arms and faded in a puff of darkness. Hopefully she had gone back to her own time... and hopefully she would find out the truth before she took things too far.

Watching what was essentially herself fade into nothingness shook her harder than she could ever have imagined for Shanoa wandered out of the crystal caverns, lost in a mental fog, and back into the dark forest; pondering endlessly about what the hell happened her other self's time.

The idea of being ordered to track down Albus and... likely have to... No. She just couldn't wrap her head around fighting Albus as an enemy. Sure, he was rough around the edges and he was not against levelling a playing field by almost any means... but did that make him a bad guy? Was she being tricked? He had told her that she would figure things out on her own, and he had never manipulated her into thinking things his way. ...Right?  
She anguished on the implications of whether or not to continue trusting him, and after settling on trusting him, she anguished over whether or not to accuse Barlowe of darker purposes. It was about then that her stomach growled and brought her out of her haze. Quite hungry, she lamented the loss of her inventory pouch. She would have to manage for the time being.

* * *

Shanoa continued to wander through the forest for some time before she came upon a campfire tended to by a man with long platinum hair, warrior-esque clothes and a flowing cape. She kept out of sight as best she could, but was soon called out by the other person.

"I know you're there. Show yourself." He said nonchalantly, continuing to stake a couple freshly-caught fish with sharpened sticks.

"Apologies." Shanoa approached demurely, eyes immediately moving from the ethereal face of the man, to the prepared catch by the fire. "I didn't mean to lurk."

The man just nodded and gestured for her to sit by the fire. As she did so, he handed her one of the fish… sticks. "Most don't stop staring, even when there's food." He said quietly, and she took it as him meaning that he was ware of how awe-striking his face was.

"I have my priorities straight." Her blunt humor caused him to exhale in a manner that sounded almost like a short laugh. Or maybe she was hearing things. Nodding her thanks, she held her fish over the fire. She had no idea how long it would take to cook, but she would follow her benefactor's guide. "I don't have anything to trade."

"That's fine." He nodded. It appeared that he rarely smiled, but his eyes were far from disinterested and solemn. "Perhaps you could regale me with a story from your time?"

"That's more than fair." Shanoa nodded. She introduced herself, and then asked for his name, to which he gave a little sigh and told her that if he revealed himself it might ruin their amicable moment. "I was accused by the great Sypha Belnades of harbouring the powers of darkness. I doubt you can top that." She challenged quietly, the remnant of a smirk tugging at the corner of her mouth.

There was a brief twinkle in the man's eye before he replied that he was Alucard, the upstart son of Dracula.

Shanoa stared at her fish, drew her knees up closer to herself and muttered 'you win'. Admittedly, his lineage did put her on edge but a small part of her found his presence… comforting? No… familiar? Or familial? The more she focused on it, the more it started to bother her that she did not know what it was that tugged at her about him.  
She did eventually made good on talking about her time period, mentioning in vague detail about Ecclesia's fight against the darkness in the absence of the Belmont Clan. Alucard did not seem too concerned about the hunter lineage disappearing into time, but she paid it no mind. Perhaps he was from further ahead it time? By his attire she assumed not - though it was unique to the time rift, it bore influence from time periods earlier than her own.

Once the fish were cooked enough to eat, Shanoa had nearly devoured hers completely when Alucard spoke up. "Might I ask you something?" He waited for her to respond, but she only made a noise akin to 'mhmm' as her mouth was still full. "That power that you radiate... how did you come by it?"

"The master of my Order developed it. It is said that the wielder can defeat Dracula with it."

Alucard pondered on her words a moment, muttering "Hm, I wonder..." to no one in particular. He then blinked and straightened up. "-We have company."

Laughter echoed around them, causing Alucard to jump to his feet. Shanoa followed suit, standing back to back with him. A red-dressed (or undressed?) woman hopped out of the trees and stood a ways from the cosy little fire.

"A vampire!" Shanoa whispered to herself, unnecessarily.

"Not just any." Alucard said quietly, his grip on his sword tightening. "One of my father's most loyal... things. Carmilla."

"Well, if it isn't Lord Dracula's boy. How long will you antagonize your lord and father?" The sensual vampire purred, putting her fingers to her lips, and turning her attention to Shanoa for a moment, studying her with interest. "Oh... that energy... I taste the dark flavours of the night."

Shanoa summoned her _Secare_ swords to her hands and readied herself to launch towards her foe. "That's no concern of yours. This power is your bane. It will destroy you and Dracula both."

"The power of the night belongs to us, child! It's not for humans to trifle with!"

"Please, allow me." Alucard quiet voice interrupted Shanoa's planned rebuttal, with a hand waving over to stop her from advancing. He then looked to Carmilla, hoisting his sword aloft. "Enough talk. It is time for you to die."

The look on the vampiress's face turned dour as Alucard charged at her. She flitted away defensively, calling out in a venomous tone that she would carve off his flesh like an apple skin. The two vampiric beings tore through the forest in their battle, soon leaving Shanoa alone again. She listened for the sounds of their conflict, but the chase that Carmilla had taken Alucard on had since brought them quite far away.

With a sigh, Shanoa kicked some dirt into the fire to douse it just enough so that it would not become a fire hazard, but left a few embers burning so that it might be started up again by any other wayward travelers. And then she realized that she did not get the chance to say 'so long' to Alucard, or 'thanks' for the fish for that matter, being quite sure that he would not be returning.

Everyone in the rift had their roles... to... play.

Muttering Albus's name to herself, Shanoa gave a sigh as she wondered how badly worried he must be - wherever he was. Suddenly quite cold, she crossed her arms and held them tightly against her.

Heading in the direction that the vampires had blazed off in, she wandered until she came to a riverbank and followed the flow downstream until she found herself at the shores of a large lake. A pier was visible in the distance, with one large boat docked. Drawing closer, she noted that the ship was readying to set sail across the way, the destination being Dracula's castle.  
Once on board, she sat near the bow of the small ship. The damp wind was refreshing at first, but soon turned cold and bitter.  
Shanoa's thoughts shifted from the weather when she heard someone come up from the lower decks. She turned defensively, pausing as she locked eyes with a young blonde girl clad in pink and wielding a staff that resembled an ornate bird cage with a live snowy owl atop it.

"A little girl, in a place like this?" Shanoa pondered aloud, turning fully towards the other female.

The girl's face scrunched into an annoyed scowl. "Little...! This "little girl" beat Dracula, ya know." She protested, gripping her staff tightly.

"You defeated Dracula?" Shanoa was both surprised and impressed.

"Yep, it's true." The youngster nodded, putting one hand on her hip and standing proudly. "I beat him with Richter. We did it together."

So, another warrior who had teamed up with a Belmont to defeat Dracula? Shanoa as beginning to see a pattern. But what would that mean for her and her companion, when neither of them were Belmonts? There had to be a way for them to defeat Dracula in the absence of the famous hunter lineage. Perhaps further testing her strength would settle her doubts.

"Impressive." She paused a moment and then decided to introduce herself. "My name is Shanoa."

"I'm Maria, and this is Osca." Maria gave a little curtsy, and her owl hooted and flapped its wings.

Shanoa nodded politely and then got right down to business. "If you're story of defeating Dracula is true, then I ask that you grant me a battle."

"I, uh... I guess that'd be okay." The younger of the two blinked, surprised at the formal duel request. "Well, whenever you're ready."

The two squared off on deck, each fighting fire with fire. Shanoa with her _Ignis_ and Maria with her _Suzaku Call_, or what Shanoa would later internalize as the 'cheap flaming owl cage attack'.  
Things got a bit interesting when Maria called on her animal spirits to help her out, which were a large turtle, a tiger, a fire bird and... a dragon? Genbu, which Shanoa assumed was the name of the turtle - at least before the thing dropped itself unceremoniously on her head, caused her to see stars after impact.  
Dazed, the ex-Ecclesian warrior defensively shielded herself with her dashing ability and blazed from the stern and towards the ships' cabin doors. Maria followed close behind, brandishing her staff tightly. Shanoa summoned _Hasta_ and struck out towards her, the blow blocked by deft hands and parried, in return the lance struck out again and up, nearly hitting Osca in his cage.

"Hey!" Maria called, hopping back so she could check on her owl; who was fine if not a little ruffled. "Just 'cause you're hot doesn't mean you can be rude!"

Shanoa smirked at the incredulous reaction, even though she hadn't meant to strike at the bird. "Such passion... I've forgotten what that feels like."

Face squelching up in distaste again, Maria lunged at her again but was forced aside with a glancing blow from a well-aimed _Secare_ swipe. Skidding to a halt on her knees, she attempted to stand again but as she was on the edge of the ship she suddenly lost her balance and... fell into the water.  
Thinking quickly, Shanoa grabbed at some nearby rope that lay coiled by the cabin and tossed it out to Maria before the ship could move too far away.  
After both the girl and her owl were back on deck, Maria thanked her for her help and complimented her battle style. Shanoa couldn't help but wonder to herself if she already had the strength to defeat Dracula... but as her wins so far had all been inconclusive and questionable at best… she was not so sure.

Finally, the boat docked at a broken segment of a bridge that appeared to lead into the outer gates of Dracula's castle. The two female warriors stepped off the boat and looked around at the sights as they wandered towards the massive gates before them.  
Shanoa remained silent, lost in contemplation of her strengths and how to further hone her skills. Though they stayed together until they finally entered the main halls of the castle, Maria soon bid her farewell, as she intended to head directly for the castle keep, and she felt that Shanoa did not seem to have a path in mind. Understanding fully, Shanoa nodded at the younger girl and thanked her for everything.

With a smile and a wave, Maria Renard headed off, leaving Shanoa to her own devices again.

* * *

After some time, with no short amount of zombies encounters and the occasional hulking minotaur, Shanoa found herself in one of the tall towers of the cathedral. The gorgeous stained glass windows felt comforting for some reason, and she wondered why on earth there was a place of worship in the Lord of Darkness's abode. She lingered for longer than she ought to have, enjoying the peace that room gave her.  
Naturally, that peace was soon interrupted but not by anyone meaning her immediate harm. She heard someone approaching from the hallway but she paid them no mind as she continued to study the large statue in the room as there was something 'off' about it.

"Such attire is usually more... _suiting_ of a holy sister." Came a slightly-amused voice. Male, young adult, touched with skepticism, but non-threatening. "So I will ask... friend or foe?"

Shanoa turned and looked at who addressed her. Before her stood a tall, well built, red-haired man, who looked to have seen his fair share of battles and strife. Though young, he seemed quite worn down and tired, with numerous scars that might even be considered badges of honor. His clothes were a bit off, much like everyone else's threads in the time rift. She could not place his time from the look of his black short-trousers and open shirt, but she soon forgot about his clothing when she noticed something coiled on a ring that hung from his belt.

"That whip... You're from the lost dynasty of hunters?"

"If you know this whip then you must know of House Belmont." The man replied, a hand touching the Vampire Killer involuntarily, as if he were checking to see that it were still there. "What do you mean by "lost"?

"In my time," Shanoa paused, hoping her bluntness would not be too impolite. "Your clan completely vanished. That's why we sought out the power to stop Dracula."

"I know nothing of your tale, but your power to vanquish Dracula - that interests me." The other replied matter-of-factly. "My name is Simon. Who are you?"

"Shanoa." She gave a bow, her gestures grand but sincere. "It is an honor to meet the fabled Simon Belmont."

Simon shifted in his stance, seemingly uncomfortable with the praise. He mumbled 'fabled, huh?' to himself and fell quiet. Shanoa had already become fond of his voice -as it sounded oddly familiar and was comforting to her ears - but now she found she quite liked this man's humility.

"The clan that I was inducted to has taken to other means of research and magic in hopes of vanquishing Dracula," She offered, crossing her arms as she spoke. "We are so close to achieving our goal, but since arriving in this... time rift... I find myself wondering about those powers."

Rubbing his chin in thought, Simon nodded. He admitted that she looked like she might be a capable fighter and that power alone was not the answer to her problems. Skill, tact, and quick thinking would also be an asset.

Shanoa gave a smirk and told him that he sounded a lot like her combat partner - as he was always going on about using brains before brawn. "Might I ask you something? It regards to moral compasses and such."

Simon nodded, a little confused by where the conversation was headed.

"...Is it wrong to potentially use darkness to fight darkness?" Shanoa's voice had gone quieter, for she was concerned about the repercussions of asking such a question of someone who was from a lineage that fought against anything and everything 'dark'. She had avoided eye contact with him, but slowly looked up at him after the silence between them had gone on long enough.

Gaze piercing hers, Simon seemed to be fighting back a pained memory but he managed to keep an even tone as he told her to be careful with the darkness, for it could seep into every facet of her life and corrupt her and her kindred without her ever being the wiser - it could be sudden, it could be subtle, and it was always waiting for the opportune moment to strike.

Shanoa nodded, a little saddened by the reality in his words - and she had seen it with her own eyes when Albus had gotten too close to Dominus Anger... When they did manage to splinter Agony from it's book, she would likely have to manipulate him into letting her have it.

"Well then," Simon's voice cut through her thoughts and she looked back at him to see him give her a faint smile. "If we're not going to battle, then I'll be on my way. I have another of my kinsman to seek out and challenge."

"You wish to duel?" Returning his smile, Shanoa uncrossed her arms and put her hands on her hips. She was amused by the Belmont's quiet cheekiness.

"A little. But perhaps we can put your doubts to rest as well." He shrugged, smile fading to a resolute expression. He uncoiled his whip and readied his stance. "Don't think I'll go easy on you because you're... well, you know."

"And I won't go easy on you for being... you know." She retorted with a small laugh, settling into her own defensive stance. "Very well. Let's see if my strength is enough to carry the day."

In short, their battle was fantastic - they each darted around each other with a swiftness that would envy most other warriors, their hunter eyes and fighters' spirits made for precise powerful blows and quick, closed blocks. Though they struck each other repeatedly, the other would not give up any time soon, causing each to become a little more determined as their battle waged on, reaching a finale where they unleashed their strongest attacks on each other, Shanoa managed her Light and Darkness union, which sung in her mind as the _Storm Glyph of Gales_, barraging Simon with both elements - while simultaneously being whittled down by rapid whip strikes via a powerful demonstration of what the Vampire Killer could do.

Extreme powers residing for the moment, the tired and injured sparring partners each took a knee a few feet away from each other, eyes locked and expressions neutral.

"I request a hold..." Shanoa said though a ragged breath, holding a hand out towards him defensively.

Simon gave a small laugh, though he was also short of breath. He conceded to her request after wincing and clutching at his left shoulder. "...Agreed."

Suddenly, the room started to shake and the two warriors stood, looks of concern on their faces.

"What's going on?" Simon asked aloud, more to himself than to Shanoa.

"Look out!" She called, having glanced at the statue suspiciously, noting that its eyes had started to glow - before it shot a beam of energy towards them.

Making a dash for the exit, the two barely escaped the trailing energy blast that followed them, ending where the tiled floor of the cathedral tower bordered the hallway's red carpet. Both breathed a sigh of relief, not being able to help allowing themselves a relieved smile at the other. That had been too close.

A small ruckus sounded further down the hallway, where there was a cross section that led in a different direction. Four people dashed by, Shanoa recognized three of the four as Grant, Sypha and Alucard.

The last she did not know until Simon called out their name. "Trevor!" The quartet must not have heard him, for no one came back in their direction.

Simon's gaze remained down the hallway, to which Shanoa nudged him and told him to get a move on if he wished to catch up with them. He looked back at her, nodded, and before jogging off after Trevor and company he told her that he truly thought she had the guts to face Dracula, and that he wished her all the luck in the world.

Shanoa gave him a smile and a wave, slightly reassured of her strength to challenge Dracula. She had her chance sooner that she thought, for as she wandered the castle some more, having avoided the path that Simon and the others had taken, she came across none other that the Lord of Darkness himself, who had been making his way to the castle keep...  
Of all places for her to run across him, it was in the Alchemy Laboratory. Lava spilled around them, electricity cracked through the air, and then there was the out-of-place Dark Lord. He stood nearly two times taller than her, garbed in royal purple and armoured in gold accents, striking a powerful and imposing figure.

"Puny worm, I remember you," Dracula seemed to scowl at whatever memory plagued him, yet at also be grinning at the fortune of coming across her unawares. He touched a taloned hand gracefully to his chin as he considered entertaining himself a moment longer.

"Flattered," Shanoa replied dryly, brandishing the dual _Secare_ swords. The heat of the Alchemy Lab as starting to effect her more than she had anticipated, and had her blades not been magical they may have very well slipped from her sweaty hands. "But I have yet to defeat you in my own time."

"You, who dared to use my own power against me-" Gliding towards her, his eyes glowed red, angry. "I will make you regret ever foolishly wielding that which you cannot even comprehend."

Drawing on what little courage she could muster, Shanoa was in unfortunate shock regarding the truth of her abilities, and though she struggled mightily to hold her own and landed a huge _Secare_ union blow, she had the misfortune of being made short work of by Dracula.  
_Dark Megiddo_ was the final nail in her coffin; she was helpless to watch as her demise in the form of darkness, hatred and hellfire, came roaring towards her. The pain and agony she suffered at the mercy of his dark powers... she would not forget it any time soon.

Everything faded to black. Her whole body feeling like it was on fire but she could not scream or cry out in her agony; as if her voice had been taken from her. A supposed eternity passed before the pain subsided and as her body went numb she found herself in a dimension of infinite white.

"It seems you are not the one." Aeon's voice sounded in the white limbo that Shanoa found herself hovering in.

Remaining on her back, she stared up tiredly into the white eternity that spanned around her. "It's just as well." She sighed aloud. "I am still an echo of my old strengths."

"Clever girl." Aeon appeared at her side and placed a hand on her shoulder in a gesture of support. "Now to return to your own time and grow even stronger. "

"Aeon. What will become of this... happenstance?"

"Worry not." Smiling, Aeon squeezed her shoulder. He was quite pleased with her concern for his little... problem. "Someone, if not myself, will manage to fix this little ripple in time."

Shanoa let out a breath in relief. "Good."

"Any last requests before I return you home?"

"I wish to simply see the strife my other self spoke of." She paused and added 'may I, please' when she remembered to mind her manners. Especially around someone much more powerful than she.

"Very well." He paused a moment and smiled, an eyebrow arcing slightly. "I shall do you one better, and grant you front row seats."

Puzzled and thinking 'Wait, what?' Shanoa moved to sit up, finding herself suddenly whirled back into oppressive darkness that slowly ebbed away to reveal herself seeing through the eyes of the other Shanoa she had met earlier.

But what came to pass was nothing that she had ever expected - fighting a Dominus-possessed Albus with her own hands.

Their battle was of a fierce and cold brutality that was foreign to her. Her other self moved with such power and ferocity, and -if she dared say so of someone who had no emotion: hatred.

The other timeline's Albus seemed a bit off in his move set; although fast and relentless in his attacks and advances, he did not seem to be able to warp about. But there was no pulling his punches and he used his most powerful shots and abilities as often as he could, the hits wracking the body of the other Shanoa, who managed to spring back and land blows on him just as unsettlingly severe.  
The witnessing Shanoa called out as hard as she could for her other self to stop, unable to move or act... and practically screamed out her only remaining ally's name as he fell - his soul-wrenching death rattle of calling her name out, as he fell to the ground, only to be mercilessly impaled through the heart with a red spell rapier.

Shocked into silence for what felt like an eternity, the observing Shanoa numbly watched as her other self moved to coldly absorb the final piece of Dominus that was now free from its previous host.

* * *

Finding herself sinking away from the sight before her, Shanoa felt anger and regret in place of sadness, the ability to fully cry and mourn still eluding her. She felt frustrated with herself, with her mission, and with everything that had transpired around her.  
Why had everything been taken from her? And what had she done to deserve such a terrible fate in the other timeline? Was she, too, also fated to carry out the same gruesome task? At least with her other self, there had no longer been a close connection to Albus, so it would not be much concern to take down an alleged traitor if ordered to do so.  
But _her_, the version of herself that had some recollection of her time with her kinsman, and continued to work with him, knew she would not be able to bring him down without a hefty amount of hesitation and therefore would put her own life at serious risk.

In the blink of an eye she was back in her moonlit room at the infirmary. Sitting up in a panic and breathing heavily, she ignored the cold cloth she had sent flying and tightly grasped at the covers around her, and definitely not expecting someone to immediately clutch at her shoulders and ask what was wrong.

Startled, Shanoa flipped out, all but slamming herself into the wall in an attempt to get away from her assailant. Furthering her bad reaction, she summoned a rapier which then cut into the left shoulder of Albus's vest and hooked under the accent strap. Staring at her combat partner in shock, Shanoa fought to calm her ragged breathing while registering the look of calm-yet-concerned (with a tic of discomfort at the attack) apparent on his face. Albus said nothing as he slowly put his hands up and leaned away so as to disengage himself from her sword.

"Oh no," Shanoa whispered once she regained herself. "I nearly did it again."

"No, you nearly _Secare Union_'d me earlier. This is nothing." Albus replied rather shortly, eyes still fixed on hers.

Immediately, Shanoa dispelled her rapier moved to throw her arms around him in a tight hug, having moved low to wrap her arms around his torso and nestle her head against the middle of his chest.

Confused, Albus remained in his chair that was next to the cot, unsure as how to react. He had dutifully sat vigil by her side that night, doing his best to help keep her fever down, occupying his time with the stack of books on the floor; that he had just nearly knocked over. His hands remained in the air, as if he were afraid to touch her, and he considered that at least she was not trying to attack him any more.  
The longer Shanoa clung to him in silence, the more confused he felt, wondering what in the hell she had been dreaming that had caused her to wake up in such a fit. She suffered night terrors when she had first joined the order, but those had subsided when she had grown accustomed to her new life.

"Are you all right?" Albus asked, figuring that he might as well attempt to be supportive and finally hugged her back, to which she made a small noise of contentment and went silent again."You were calling for..." His voice died out as he was a little embarrassed for himself as well as for her. She had yelled his name pretty loudly and with urgency, and while he was flattered, it would not be in their best interest to bring the subject up. Would it? He cleared his throat and tried again. "Well, you were calling out in your sleep."

Shaking her head, Shanoa muttered that she was fine and said nothing more. When a few minutes of silence passed, she glanced up at him with a look upon her face as if something had dawned on her. "I know what Dominus is made of." She stated, eyes wide.

Thoroughly surprised at her utterance, Albus replied that he did too, for he had found the answer earlier on. When Shanoa whispered 'Dracula' quietly in query, her companion nodded with a severe expression.

"Yes. They used Dracula's remains. That's his power. Nothing less." Pausing, Albus shook his head. "Why didn't I think of that sooner? I mean, where does a glyph's power come from? Nothing comes from nothing, after all. Right? -But how did you...?"

"I... saw things. I saw the truth. And I saw..." She paused, and her face pulled into a pained expression. "I saw what could have happened if you had left me behind."

Albus studied her intently, fascinated by her words. Normally he would have passed off such things as vivid dreams, but Shanoa had never been the sort to have any kind of clairvoyant visions. So what in the hell had happened to her?  
"Are you sure you're all right?" He asked quietly, at a loss for any other sentiment. He did not wish to discount her words right away, so he stuck with listening intently for the moment.

A short, bitter laugh escaped Shanoa as she leaned forward again to curl an arm around his neck and rest her forehead against his collarbone. "Fairing better than the other you I saw."

When Albus asked what happened, her reply of it being 'nothing to worry about' caused him to frown. Reaching to cup her face with his hands so that he could look into her eyes, he gently insisted that she tell him. She went silent, hesitating on telling her closest kin that she had... killed him...with her own hands. Although he had been possessed and her other timeline self hadn't been privy to the fact that they were allies... but that did not make it any easier. And even if she could in that moment bring herself to tell him all that, it would definitely put a huge strain on their relationship. Telling someone you killed them in a dream was not necessarily a good way to maintain close bonds.

Gently grasping the sides of Albus's head, Shanoa pulled him closer and touched her forehead against his. "Just... promise me you'll be careful around Dominus. And please... don't junction it to yourself directly..."

Remaining quiet, Albus nodded, definitely not liking the implications of her plea. Numbly, he moved to press a kiss to the top of her forehead, afterward mustering a small smile as he leaned away slightly and reached to ruffle her bangs. "It will be all right. I know you'll keep me in line."


	9. Dominus Research and the Mystery Manor

Opportunity arose the following morning for Albus to get started on his latest round of research into safely harnessing Dominus. As Shanoa was still recovering from her fever, the researcher was able to coerce Father Nikolai to allow him to take blood samples of the villagers under the not-so-true claim that Shanoa might be infectious or that she may have been infected by someone else.

The old priest seemed quite concerned, with more than just the concept of a pandemic on hand, but nodded and gave the young man permission to work in his 'newer' ways.

The healer Abram was soon enlisted to show Albus the storage room in the basement of the hospice, which although dusty was in relatively good order. Taking inventory of what lay on the shelves, Albus found a sizable stash of useful medical supplies that had gone into disuse due to the local belief of using herbal medicine as opposed to the researcher's more 'modern' approaches. There were all sorts of beakers, flasks, distillation vessels and apparatuses, coiled glass tubing and other such equipment that were common to a chemist's setup. Another stroke of luck was when Albus discovered that there was also an old field medic's bag. The contents made Abram shiver a little due to the scalpels and bone saw, with a matching set of thumb lancets to pierce the skin for bloodletting, and a syringe kit that needs some heavy restoration. Albus paled faintly, as despite having some experience with such items he was still none too fond of having to use the amputation tools unless absolutely necessary.

Hopefully, Jacob would be getting in the syringes and microscope that he had ordered a few days prior. And Albus was in luck, for when he later popped into to the general store he was greeted warmly and promptly informed that his parcel had arrived. Returning to the hospice, he cleared a spot in the old storeroom to allow for himself a work space where he would be out of the way, and others would be out of his way.

The next task took a little persuasion, but soon Father Nikolai had gathered everyone to the waiting room of the hospice, assuring them that their time and small sacrifice would make all the difference in preserving the health of the community.

Taking comfort levels into extreme consideration, Albus saw each of the villagers one at a time in the examination room, took the time to explain that he only needed a small blood sample to ensure their health and their contribution to a vaccine should it be needed, and finally made sure to use sanitary practices when drawing but a small vial of blood. Each person had reacted somewhat differently, but the underlying feelings on the matter were that of concern. No one wanted to suffer illness, and everyone was curious about what else Albus was knowledgeable in, whereas he would reply that he had some medical training and had a healthy interest in looking out for the well-being of others.  
T'was not a lie, _per se_, but Albus did feel bad about the duplicity of the situation. To right the matter in his own conscious he planned to keep watch for anything health-related in the villager's blood samples as he examined them during his more occult research. Had things been different, he wondered to himself what he would have done if he had desperately needed samples from these people... and promptly dropped the thought.  
He was there in the village with its occupants, having earned both their scrutiny and yet somehow enough trust to allow him to work. That was all that mattered.

It was mid afternoon once everyone had left the infirmary to go about their daily business, and after dismissing Abram, Albus headed down to the storeroom and prepared glass slides with samples. Once the task was complete, he headed upstairs to the ward rooms to check on Shanoa.  
She was still asleep, remaining so as Albus removed the warm cloth from her forehead and moistened it in the basin by the window, afterwards placing it gently over her eyes and forehead. -Or so he had assumed she was still asleep, for she grabbed his hand as he turned to leave, asking him not to go just yet. Clasping her hand in both of his, he quietly sat down on the chair next to the bed.

"You're planning something." Shanoa said quietly, squeezing one of his hands.

With a chuckle at her intuition, Albus asked if she was concerned. She responded that 'worry' would be more appropriate of the feeling of uncertainty that she felt throughout her being.

A quiet joke at the expense of his other reason for dropping in on her surfaced, as he then admitted that he wished to take a sample of her blood for his research. With her consent, of course. She agreed to it, and was quiet through the quick procedure, afterward rubbing at the cotton dressing that was pressed to the puncture mark to staunch blood flow.

Silence fell between them, and in a small voice, Shanoa spoke with concern. "Please don't leave me behind."

Though Albus could not see her eyes due to the cloth covering them, and his back being turned as he packed up the syringe kit, he knew Shanoa's gaze would be otherwise boring into him. She was trying so hard to remain strong despite her request. With an audible breath, he patted her hand reassuringly and mustered a smile as he reassured her 'never again'.

In an even smaller voice Shanoa asked if he 'promised', which caused him to bite back a pained groan, for he felt like he had been punched in the stomach by his own emotions. Albus's tone reflected as much as he reassured her that he swore as much and that she ought to rest up for they had a haunted mansion to explore within the next few days if she were feeling up for it.

Tiredly, Shanoa nodded and let her hand go slack as she said 'goodnight' and fell back asleep. Albus took the hand of hers that drooped over the side of the cot and placed it to rest beside her, taking in the sight of her a bit longer than appropriate of the situation.

Loathing the idea of leaving her just yet, he allowed his hand to reach over to brush some of her hair out from under the cloth, smiling to himself as he did so. Then he shook his head lightly as he gave himself a mental kick to get back to the storeroom to start the arduous task ahead of him. It was doubtful that he would be getting any sleep that night.

* * *

The grueling task of studying the blood of the villagers ended up being about as ill-conclusive as he had assumed.

The blood composition of the villagers looked completely normal, typically that of human beings - as per his control sample consisting of his own decidedly-normal blood - but the local's white cells seemed a lot more aggressive than the standard fare.

Having previously looked at length at whatever information he could scrape together on vampire hunting lineages, Albus's theory had been that the villagers of Wygol were far offshoots of the Belmont lineage. He was not necessarily wrong, for whenever he introduced a small touch of darkness to each sample, the white cells attacked savagely. Even though it was their nature to do so normally when faced with a pathogen or intruder particles in the bloodstream, these cells would throw themselves at the dark element regardless if alone, or even if overwhelmed and destroyed when he increased the size of the dark element.

Shanoa's blood was another matter entirely. He had expected hers to be similar to the villagers, a minor and unspoken theory of his being that she might be a Belmont descendant as well. But her blood differed from the others. Her red blood cells were practically titans in size and resilience - no wonder she rarely tired under most normative circumstances. There were other particles in her sample that eluded his knowledge, but they seemed to conduct introduced energy along without hindrance. Perhaps the cells were conductors that magically gifted lineages possessed? There was little occult academia to go on with such a theory, as that all it was at that time - speculation.

"I wonder, perhaps..." Ha mused aloud, caching himself doing so and immediately clamming up and finishing the thought silently in his thoughts._ 'If she's a Belnades.'_

Labouring long into the night, Albus ignored his eyes straining and his back aching from hunching over the microscope without rest; eventually losing all track of time and falling asleep at the table with his head resting on crossed arms that were propped up on a stack of books next to a pile of dirty dishes.

Albus obsessively researched for two days, both driven by the urgency of the matter and the lack of anything better to do with Shanoa still out of commission. Test after test after test, hypothesis and method all scrutinized, examined, reformed and retried yet again. Time had no meaning to him, though soreness and stiffness certainly did. But he laboured on, and at some point he had formed himself a concoction for transfusion into his own body that consisted of elements and particles from each of the villager's, and Shanoa's, blood samples.

The transfusion process was long and arduous - and many times he felt faint, light-headed, and nauseous. A less desperate man would have been wise enough to seek assistance from the local healer to supervise the procedure, but given the nature of the research and the false guise under which he worked, Albus kept quiet and put himself at great personal risk.

As the transfusion coursed through him and mingled throughout his bloodstream, he felt as if he had been set ablaze by a cleansing fire, the sudden and foreign warmth in his body was uncomfortable and then rapidly became unbearable. What felt like eons later, he succumbed to the immense pain that had built up within him and as he fainted he wondered to if he had done something irrevocably stupid.

* * *

On the third day Albus was awoken in the storeroom by Abram, and forcefully told to return to his room so that he could get some proper sleep. Healer's orders and all.

"...You're not _poisoned_ are you?" Abram had practically screeched at the sluggish scholar, shoving an antidote at Albus that had been made from the collected chamomile and rue that the former-Ecclesians had turned in, along with the rest of the healer's 'shopping' list - save for the mandragora root.  
" Well this'll cure you." He continued, putting one of Albus's arms across his shoulders and hoisted the other man to his feet. "And... maybe I'll trust you more. Not much more. But some. -You've earned precisely eight points of trust. And if you know anything about trust, you know that's being generous!"

The over-tired researcher pitched as much of a fit as he could manage, which was little more than a muttered 'and what do you know' while lazily trying to pull away from the supportive grasp of the healer as he walked him up two flights of stairs. Once Albus hit the pillow on his cot he instantly fell asleep and did not emerge from his room until morning.

The same morning, Shanoa headed down the hallway after having dressed for the day, pausing at the top of the stairs when hearing two voices drifting up from the kitchen, for their topic of conversation was she herself.

"I wanted to thank you again for your help the other day," Irina's voice was first, her tone carrying her typical motherly concern. "I don't think she would have recovered so fast if we hadn't given her that cold bath."

"Nothing to thank me for. I am again indebted to you, Madam." Albus sounded a bit disinterested when he replied - he was probably reading at the breakfast table again.

Irina made a 'hmm' sound, before she presumably sat across from him as there was a sound of a chair moving back and scraping forward again. "I apologize for being so defensive about her." She paused, sounding as if she took a moment to take a sip of tea. "Though I'd still like an explanation after the vague yet persuasive reasoning you gave me."

"I'd love nothing more than to tell you the truth," Albus muttered, having dropped his volume substantially. "But not with her memories still absent. I hope you understand."

Making a sound of compliance, Irina then laughed to herself. "I'm actually more curious as to how she managed to get such a strapping young man to stick around so loyally."

Shanoa put a hand to her mouth as if to stop herself from laughing out loud. She could perfectly envision how Albus's face likely looked after such an utterance; eyebrows flying upwards before he fought to control his expression. Deciding to spare him a rebuttal, Shanoa noisily descended the stairs to announce her impending arrival, and entered the kitchen as if she had not heard the conversation.

"Good morning," She nodded politely as she entered the room, snatching a piece of toast from Albus's plate, doing so mostly for the reaction of a half-hearted frown from him. "So when do we get started?"

* * *

Post breakfast, the duo planned to hit the road early, first stopping at Jacobs shop for items to replenish their journey inventory, and to have a look-see at the new shipment of items that had come in.

An unknown middle-aged man with two teen-aged boys entered the shop, in which the elder immediately went to the counter and engaged the merchant in conversation after telling the young men in his company to have a look around.

While perusing the medicinal herb racks, Shanoa paused when she felt like she was being watched. Glancing away from the herbs, she looked over to see one of the two youths not-so-discreetly looking away in haste. He could not have been any younger than sixteen, and was a bit unusual when compared to most who lived in the area - having such bright platinum hair that it almost looked silver.  
Shanoa gave the faintest smirk and turned back to her browsing. Why had he been staring at her? She knew that she too looked different that most, but that did not really affect her. She gave a much-more-discreet glance back and noticed that the stranger, cheeks flushed in embarrassment, had busied himself with looking at the health tonics in the next row, and stooping down to pick up the orange shop cat once it had brushed against his legs and meowed. Ah, Shanoa understood what was going on - and it was far better than him being revolted by how different she was.

Meanwhile, Albus in his own time had moved towards the front counter with some items in hand to purchase, placing the items before Jacob at the same time as the other young man that had come in moments before. Both customers practically had the same items, and upon noticing this, they looked at each other with mild scrutiny for a moment before the dark-haired youth cracked a smile when he realized that he might have found a kindred spirit in the slightly older man. An eyebrow raised, but Albus soon returned the grin, amused at how openly the teen wore his emotions.

Overhearing the conversation between the eldest man of the trio and Jacob; the newcomer revealed that he was a hunter of sorts and was still teaching his boys the finer points of his trade - also making a point to note that he had not been in the area for some time yet had not recalled the village being around. Jacob the merchant nodded and gave a bit of a laugh, stating that the village was their local pastor's doing - and Father Nikolai had certainly built the foundation of the place some years earlier as if the devil himself had been on his heels.

Interest piqued, Albus had interjected politely and asked what sort of hunting the older man partook in after he had noticed that the attire of all three men were a bit different from that of regular game hunters.

As expected, the researcher received a gruff and guarded explanation from the stranger that he was merely a big game hunter and trapper, and that there was not much in the ways of exciting stories to tell a fancy-looking city dweller.

A smirk formed at that comment - for as refined as Albus might have looked and how scholarly he had become, he was still a bit of a country boy at heart.

Shanoa approached the counter, casually squeezing in between Albus and the dark haired boy, leaning on the counter top as she asked Jacob to see something that was on the back wall. Again, the eyes-on-her feeling, and she nonchalantly looked over to see the other young man checking out her backside - or at least she had assumed as much until he commented how fabulous her hair was. Quirking a brow, she thanked him, which seemed to be an invitation for him to continue speaking to her. Immediately he explained that he was trying to grow out his hair, pulling his medium-length hair forward to show off his progress, and asked if she had any tips on how to grow hair as long as hers.  
She knew she should be flattered at the compliment, so Shanoa gave a light smile to the youth and admitted that she did not know of any 'secrets' for hair, only knowing that she had simply just let it grow, made sure to wash it regularly, and took a brush to it whenever possible.

Jacob interrupted the conversation when he brought over the crafted items that Shanoa had asked to view. As she inspected the elementally-enhanced accessories that Laura the Jeweler had created, she looked to Albus and asked his opinion.

"Darkness resist." Albus replied immediately, wishing there was something more masculine than a hairpin that he too could purchase and equip for himself. Glancing past his combat partner, he locked eyes with the dark-haired teen again, who at first was a bit in awe and then seemed to assume things about the Ecclesians as revealed by the way he grinned at Albus before heading off to check on his silver-haired companion. Amused, the researcher had given the lad a smirk in return as if to answer his unspoken question - all the while laughing inwardly at the misunderstanding.

The elder hunter finally concluded his discussion with Jacob and called for his boys by name, 'Hugh' and 'Nathan' to the front to tally their purchases. Business concluded, Jacob thanked 'Master Baldwin' for his business and wished him and his pupils happy hunting.  
Albus parroted the same sentiment in a friendly manner, as did Shanoa, but she looked upon the silver-haired youth with a smile as she did so.

After the strangers had left, they turned back to lean on the counter, and once Albus had asked the merchant to pull down his stocks of black powder and firing flints for him, he chuckled quietly and gave Shanoa a light nudge with his shoulder as he told her that she was 'terrible for giving that boy false hope'.

Forcing an evil smirk, she fired back that she was 'simply appreciating another unique-looking person' and that not everyone was blessed to blend in with the rest of society.

* * *

The Giant's Dwelling had allegedly once been belonged to local authorities and the nickname for the estate that no one dared to approach due to the suggestion of a giant actually residing within. The place ended up a bit of a challenge for Shanoa and Albus, as they battled their way through a whole new variety of foes, suffering minor scrapes, bruises, and the occasional curse status along their way. The only more notable moment in their unfair leveling of the place was in one of the larger chambers, both being afflicted by cursed Ectoplasms, which drained their magic abilities to near nothing, and several enemies surrounded the would-be defenseless pair.

A being they identified as Miss Murder had torn through to their dimension and made for the otherwise-busy Albus whom was fighting off a Werecat - Shanoa ducked in the way and fronted the blow with her breastplate, knocking her against her battle partner, who had turned in time to catch her shoulders and support her against him before she had the chance to stumble.

With an irritated 'tch', Albus quickly picked her up and laboured through a Quadruple _Ignis_ kick with her grasped tightly in his arms before whirling her back on to her feet. Immediately she swung horizontally with a _Union Secare_ to take out the enemies before her, while Albus continued on to spin kick the enemies behind her.

Upon defeating their foes, they took a moment to catch their breaths and retrieve uncurse potions from inventory.

The 'master' occupant of the manor turned out to be a literal giant, a huge abomination given the appropriate name 'Goliath', a physical fighter that took none-too-kindly to the trespassers in his lair. With powerful stomps, a variety of strong punches; some summoned stalagmites with others that caused bits of the ceiling to rain down, and a jumping attack that resulted in a powerful shock-wave cascading out from the point of impact.

The battle was tedious and lasted for longer than the pair of fighters could keep track of, growing wearier as time went on. Finally, after Shanoa made a precise _Luminatio_ and _Vol Secare_ union to the legs of their opponent, it fell to one knee in defeat, then stood and raised a hand upwards as a pillar of light appeared and swathed the creature in its glow, dissolving its blasphemous form, causing the sparkle of a soul to emerge and float upwards.

Watching the phenomenon, Albus nearly missed his opportunity to act, giving his head a shake before hastily tearing the second book of Dominus from his inventory and hurling it into the beam of light. The book disintegrated partially, erupting with green flames as the second piece of Dominus emerged in a raw ball of power as the beam of light faded away. Albus hurried forward, pulled out an odd looking spell book and started to chant a few words in Latin, making a gesture towards Dominus, bending and shaping it with his mind and the spell at his command. Mental warfare with the power was strenuous, for by the time he shaped it into a glyph, his breathing had become heavier and his stance had since drooped to match his tiring form.  
Drawing Agartha, he put in a blank channeling cartridge and then extended his right hand out towards the Dominus Glyph and guided it towards his firearm, causing it to glow red for a moment before the glyph design emblazoned itself on the hilt. He half-expected his beloved firearm to blow up, but it shuddered a few times in his hand and went still.

"That... that was a person..." Shanoa's voice finally returned after watching their enemy reach so longingly for the light. "What happened to them? What have we done?"

A moment in thought, before Albus formed his reply. "We freed them from their torment, if anything. Sometimes death is the only release... if only because we don't know any other way."

Mute, Shanoa nodded, double-checking her recently obtained glyphs _Vol Secare_ and _Vol Falcis_ over as a means to distract herself.

Business concluded, the pair silently exited out the back entrance of the large manor, and journeyed onward to Tristis Pass in search of the waterfall that Daniella the village elder had mentioned.

* * *

Their route through Tristis Pass had been less than stellar, many an enemy standing in their way, and it seemed the very land itself was against them. Local lore had spoke of it merely being a rough path cut through the mountains, and the term 'Tristis' was said to translate roughly to 'the march of the dead'. Furthering the lore legend, it was said that the road winds through caverns rumored to glow an eerie blue, from countless tears shed in grief for the lost. The caverns indeed did seems to be an unnatural blue for caves, but it was likely crystallized mineral water that had solidified over time to create the reflective surfaces around them.

"The waterfall is frozen." Albus stated unnecessarily when they stopped to observe a frozen-solid waterfall that blockaded their pathway through the mountain's underground tunnels.

"I sense a glyph up there." Shanoa murmured to herself, then raised the volume of her voice when she uttered 'I'll be back, just sit tight'.

Saying nothing in return, Albus crossed his arms and observed her as she climbed her way up the cavern wall and disappeared into the darkness. A few minutes later, the ice started to crumble and melt, and the waterfall once again roared into action.

When the other warrior had climbed her way back down to the bottom level of the cavern, she was a bit out of breath and flushed in the cheeks after having exerted herself a bit too much for the day. Combat and exploration were tiring in different ways, it seemed. Once on the ground, Shanoa brushed a sleeve across her sweaty brow and sighed, shoulders drooping a bit, her gaze shifting to the waterfall's cool cascading flow with longing. Quickly, she slid out of her armored boots and then unbuckled her breastplate.

Before Albus could ask what she was doing, her dress hit him in the face just as he heard her say 'Hold this'. When he pulled the dress off from over his head, all he saw was Shanoa dashing off towards the waterfall in only her underpants and one arm crossed over her chest to censor herself. Shaking his head, Albus chuckled quietly and sat down on one of the outcrops, back turned to his companion. To pass the time, he read a book that he had brought along with him.

As Shanoa cooled herself off in the waterfall, she reflected on something she had asked in private of Irina before they had left for the day - being what Albus had said to the older woman that morning in regards to the two of them tending to Shanoa's fever.

Irina's response had been that Albus had convinced her to let him help when he had stated to her that 'there was nothing he had not seen before'. His words caused her to relax a bit but she still wondered if he had meant Shanoa specifically or in general due to whatever medical background he seemed to possess.

Pulling her hair over one shoulder, Shanoa braided it into a more manageable mass, wondering further on the cryptic meaning of her partner's words. Shifting a bit under the cascading water, the sound of the falls pounding in her ears, she felt something odd by her foot and stooped momentarily to reach for whatever it was that was causing her mild discomfort. Squinting at the object in her palm she was surprised to see that it was another tarot-related ring. Her expression flattened when she read the inscription 'The Lovers' and shook her head and shoved it on her left thumb, glancing upward as if to shake her head at a higher power.

When she returned from her 'shower'; arms crossed over her chest strategically, she summoned a smirk and asked Albus if he wanted to take a turn cooling off.

"Unlike some exhibitionists," He retorted quietly, expression blank as he handed her dress back to her, his eyes automatically darting to her folded arms, then more forcibly to her face. The initial slip aside, he seemed unbothered by the amount of skin she showed. "I am more on the extremely modest side, thank you."

With a smile and a nod Shanoa slipped back into her dress, and then took the time to draw the current scenery for Daniella as she waited for her hair to dry. Thoughtfully, she sketched with the charcoal in her hand, making sure to do her best to capture the majesty of the powerful waterfall.

* * *

A plethora of glyphs had come into Shanoa's possession, (_Fulgur_, _Vol Hasta_, _Vol Scutum_, and _Inre Peluna_ were of relative ease for her to glean) and several defeated avian foes later, she learned to summon an Owl familiar which she then planned to show to Serge upon her return to Wygol.

As such, when the pair continued through the forest segment of the pass they heard a pathetic meowing from atop one of the trees - a grey cat looking rather bewildered on one of the higher up boughs.

"That looks like Tom." Shanoa mused, wondering if it was the same cat. If so, why was the feline way out in these parts? "Another ticket, for him, then."

Albus looked at Shanoa as she extended a hand out to him, expecting him to hand over a Magical Ticket. Amused, he gave her a grin while crossing his arms. "Sure, once you get him down."

"...You have an overpowered vertical jump ability that I lack."

"It takes a lot out of me." Albus shrugged. " Besides, call this further training."

Shanoa frowned at him, wishing that she could think of something witty to say. He seemed to anticipate her thought pattern, grinning as he told her 'less sass, more climbing'. Shanoa took her time climbing the tree, knowing full well that going up was the easy part. Though once she got closer to the grey cat that she assumed was Tom, he started hissing defensively and swiping at her when she got too close. 'Great', she thought to herself. When she reached the ground again some time later, she was relatively scratched up on the shoulders and hands, twigs and leaves stuck out of her mussed up hair, a bewildered cat clinging to her head.

"Got Tom." She stated flatly, an unimpressed look on her face

Albus fought the urge to howl with laughter at the sight before him, leaving him to just stare at her in silence until he held out an item for her out of pity.

"Ointment?"

"Yes."

When they had sent the frantic cat back to Wygol via ticket, they took a break to eat something and to also tend to the cat scratches on Shanoa's shoulders which were not deep but certainly did sting. She grumbled quietly as she applied the salve herself, not allowing her combat partner to do so when he offered - she was a bit disgruntled with him for making her fetch Tom even though he did have a point about it being further training.

* * *

Oblivion Ridge was dry and desolate, save for long-abandoned fortresses dotting the landscape, remnants of old trading posts and guard housings that served to protect ancient trade routes that had since become as obsolete as the Europe-encompassing Holy Roman Empire. It had been said that the cliffs were once the site of the local harvest celebration and that the fruitful land was now withered and barren, and the sounds of laughter had long since died away.

Albus peered around cautiously as they left the sanctity and cover of the tree line, slowly picking his way forward along their chosen path that led into the open fields ahead of them. Additional support aside, he made sure to keep the flying hawk-like Altairs and the annoying leaping Flea Men off of Shanoa, while she cut a swathe through Skeleton Beasts, Lizard men, Armored Beasts, Stone Roses, and enough werewolves to satisfy Irina's recent request. Everything that barred their way were cut down by the formidable fighters as they soldiered onward, unphased by their adversaries.

Shanoa practically danced through the enemy with her twin rapiers, often switching to blast a path with her magic or inflicting impressive blunt force trauma with her_ Union Macir_.

Albus kept pace with her, watching her back, though she was quite thorough on keeping herself guarded from enemy attacks.

The pair soon found themselves in a cavern, perhaps part of an old fort - it was near-impossible to tell with how badly the rock had been weathered by the elements, sand-blasting anything man-shaped back to the raw materials it had once been.

The monstrous Gravedorcus creature, some might jest as a land shark of sorts, caused them more delay than a problem. Tracking movements by sensing vibrations in the earth, it wove between them and dove below the surface of the sand, surfacing to spew poisonous spores that exploded on contact, and occasionally spew bile in their general direction.  
Shanoa had the idea to lure it the full length of the cavern in a charge, and once it had launched itself into the air at them - missing them as they dodged out of the way - it collided with one of the walls rather hard. With their enemy dazed and likely suffering a concussion, they whittled down its health until it gave a cry of agony and retreated, only to surface again at a last ditch attempt to attack, failing to do so as it rendering inexplicably into a pile of bone and dust.

Albus took a sizeable blast of the land-fish-thing's dusty remains to his back and hair, to which he winced and went rigid for several seconds before grumpily stating that he wished some of their bigger adversaries could skip the messy, dramatic deaths. Shanoa folded her arms and shook her head at her disgruntled partner, but did share his thoughts on the matter to a certain degree.

Once emerging from the sand creature's lair, they spotted a church in the distance. Shanoa dashed on ahead towards the front door of the building, looking over the weather-worn doors and stained glass while awaiting Albus to catch up to her.

Inside, the remnants of the church were moderately well kept. The few pews and candle holders that remained were not smashed or toppled over, and the 'small cross' that the elder Daniella had mentioned - was a huge and ornate relic at the front of the sanctuary of the building.

As Albus secured the area and patrolled the perimeter of the small church, Shanoa sat on one of the pews and fished around in her inventory pouch for the sketchbook, flipping past practice sketches of the Tristis Pass waterfall as she searched for a blank page in which to draw the Oblivion Ridge cross on to. When she neared completion of a sketch she deemed worthy of turning in, Albus leaned his arms on the back of the pew and looked down at her work, complimenting its accuracy before he mentioned that they should head back to Wygol.

The idea of taking the long way back was suggested, instead of hurrying back by means of Magical Ticket. Whether or not that turned out to be a good or a bad thing was left up to discussion, as in the short time that Albus had shirked his duties towards their defense, their safety had been compromised. When they walked up the centre isle of the church, they both were too slow in sensing hostile magical components at their feet before the trap was sprung. Amber crystals shot upward and encased them both, side by side, in crystalline prisons.

"Do try to relax, my brethren. I've only come to retrieve your pieces of Dominus." A cloaked and hooded figure appeared in the doorway, the bright light from outside further obscuring any chance of identifying the stranger's face. But the hem of their robes gave away that they were an initiate of the Order of Ecclesia. The voice was raspy, and belonged to a male, but Albus could not place the name of the person that it belonged to. "And I thank you for making the third one easy to obtain."

The implications were daunting: their former colleague had entered Wygol Village and had rifled through Albus's room to find the book - which he had left behind so as not to attract the attention of every monster within a forty league radius if he had carried two open books with him. And he had done so as to not tire out the still-recovering Shanoa. Now that his actions had cost him the third book of Dominus, he realized he had unwittingly put them in even greater danger than simply that of a few dozen enemies.

Taking a few steps closer, the hooded figure brandished the book aloft and turned his attention to the still-imprisoned Albus. "Your abandoned work was put to good use, Chief Researcher - we had plenty of groundwork to use in figuring out how to harness Dominus without our little blackbird, here - Master Barlowe sends his regards."

Quiet chanting of a spell that was unknown to both of the former Ecclesians was heard, and the book began to glow bright red, soon revealing a red glyph bearing a sigil consisting of a crowned eye with six bat wings. The appearance of the glyph caused the other two pieces to resonate - Albus could feel a warm pulse emanate from Agartha, still in his holster, while Shanoa's left arm rune glowed and caused a tingling sensation to flow down her otherwise incapacitated arm.

Furrowing his brow at the development, or at least attempting to do so, Albus started to wiggle with all his might against the effects of the _Torpor_ crystals. He mentally kicked himself, thinking that he should have just kept the Dominus tomes with him. Glancing over at Shanoa, he noticed that she had already started fighting the effects of the glyph, and was nearly free herself - and for that he was quite proud of her strength of will.

The sound of _Torpor_ shattering echoed through the nave of the church as Shanoa stood free and tall, raising her head towards her assailant and summoning her _Vol __Macir _hammer glyph to smash her combat partner free, who a moment later and joined her with his firearm drawn.

Their adversary panicked and drew the loose piece of Dominus in towards himself, functioning it directly to the flesh on his forehead - the dim glow lighting up the face beneath the hood, but not enough for the researcher to make a positive identification of the man. But if he could not readily place the face, then that poor sod was likely one of the last vestiges of the order if the old man had entrusted something so direly important with so little known of a member of the clan.

Taking a step forward, Albus beckoned their former clan member closer with a gesture, no open hostility showing on his face. "Kinsman - you are in great danger. Please, separate yourself from that piece of Dominus before it drives you mad."

The man looked at him for a moment, almost considering the words of the former Chief Researcher, someone that a nobody like him had indeed once looked up to.

_'But Albus left Ecclesia!'_ The nameless Ecclesian thought to himself darkly._ 'Left the Master and everyone behind, and selfishly stole the Order's pride and power! Ha... trust these traitors? Never. All that mattered was... was... huh... what was it that mattered, now? Ah, yes, the resurrection of Dracula. Wait... no. No it was the defeat of Dracula, was it not? ...No that couldn't be right... mankind was destined to be defeated by Lord Dracula. Yes...'_

The poor soul struggled with his thoughts for a few seconds, then a dark smirk formed beneath the hood, and the man muttered 'Come and get it' before disappearing from the room.

Immediately, Shanoa pivoted around in case of a sneak-attack from behind, keeping her eyes open and ears straining to hear any oncoming attacks. Albus stood just as still, also listening, but he heard the sound of retreating footsteps outside in the distance. Shanoa heard them too, stating aloud to him that she heard 'that man' out around back. Her partner nodded and replied 'On it', encircling an arm around her waist before warping them both outside of the church.  
In retrospect, his use of his rather draining Warp ability might have been a bad thing. As tired as he was, his head spun a bit from teleporting them both, and he was loathe to admit that he might have to hold off on using the ability unless it was an emergency. A shame, too, for he rather liked being a flitty, annoying git to their enemies.

"This way!" Shanoa called over her shoulder as she ran the length of the side of the church towards the back courtyard in pursuit of their ex-brethren.

The pair chased after the robed man, who ran quite well for someone in long garments. And who also had the advantage of being well rested _and_ spurned on by the influence of Dominus that had since enveloped its loyal follower with a red aura. The initiate also seemed to possess the ability to Warp as Albus did, which he used quite often, especially along rough patches of the Argilla Swamp that he led his pursuers through. Owl Knights, Stone Roses, Chosen Une's, Jersey Devils, and Mandragora plants (one collected in mid-scream for Abram) could not and would not stop Shanoa and Albus's relentless advance.

* * *

Their whirlwind pursuit brought them to an abandoned manor on the far outskirts of the swap, but the building was not so desolate on the inside. Chasing down their target was more of a challenge, as it seemed as if the very walls were spawning monsters that were drawn to all three pieces of Dominus that resonated with each other due to the close proximity they were in. Mad Butchers, Evil Forces, White Formors, Mimic Chests, and Flea Men all stood in their way, and all fell to the efficient teamwork of the fighting pair. Shanoa and Albus scoured high and low, tearing apart every room looking for the one who had stolen the last piece of Dominus, finding more adversaries, some long-abandoned coin, and a black cat they sent back to Wygol.

Finally, they found their kinsman in the lowest confines of the manor - in an abandoned mine. It was dark and hard to see, the tepid was air stale and thick. Such was Hell, and such would be the final resting place of their former kin if he did not come quietly.

Slumped over and clutching at his face and head, the unidentified Ecclesian male let out a short cackle and then shrugged off his robes, standing tall to reveal that he had copied the form of Albus.

The true researcher blinked, a first a bit surprised at the exact replica of himself standing before them. So, the effects of Dominus on this human experiment had turned them into a Doppelganger? So be it. An unimpressed look remained on Albus's face, even when the Doppelganger launched towards him with a perfectly-executed Quadruple _Ignis_ kick. Shanoa had dodge-rolled away by the time the Doppelganger had landed, but Albus remained in position, having caught the foot of his assailant before it struck his left shoulder.

"How _dare_ you." Albus's brow had furrowed and his tone did not sound pleased in the slightest. Frowning, he countered with a move that literally floored the other man, while practically growling in distaste. "I pulled muscles a man not ought to in perfecting that move."

Having tasted floor rather harshly, the doppelganger spat out some dirt and warped a short ways away out of Albus's grasp. The researcher closed the gap, dashing forward to further engage the copycat in close-quarters combat.

And what would such a situation be without a clichéd moment where the observing person would have to figure out which was the real person and which was the fake. Shanoa had kept a keen eye on her combat partner, knowing the whole time which was the real Albus - so when the impostor tried to get the best of her, she was torn between acting insulted or acting amused at the desperation of the act.

"Don't just stand there, help me!" The Doppelganger had spouted at her, having blocked a rather heavy kick from Albus, and had been sent skidding backwards near Shanoa. The idiot also kept his back to her, so very sure that his ruse was still in play.

A tense silence filled the room as all three people remained still.

Albus stood across the way with his arms folded over each other, rather put off by the very off-character utterance. When Shanoa looked his way and asked if he had nothing to say in his defense, he replied with a quiet 'You're smart, you'll figure it out'.

A grin formed on Shanoa's mouth, whether it was lovely or terrifying was in the eye of the beholder - and with said grin she then rather promptly jabbed the impostor from behind with her _Hasta_ glyph.

Stepping forward to take over, Albus knelt down and reached to grab their attacker by the hair - and suddenly finding himself face-to-face with a wounded Shanoa before him. Although he knew it was not really her, the effect certainly did derail him for a moment and halted his actions completely.

The real Shanoa was not effected by the farce, and grabbed her 'other self' by the hair and threw the false female over to one side, pinned 'her' to the ground and proceeded to punch the hell out of the Doppelganger's face, muttering 'this is for losing yourself so easily' as she did so. Whether it was more to herself than to the enemy, it was hard to tell. When she had beaten their enemy quite soundly, the Dominus Agony glyph forcefully dislodged itself from its carrier - killing the host as it did so, which promptly caused Shanoa to leap off and away from her former kinsman.

Instead of a clean death, the poor soul spontaneously combusted on the ground.

Eyes widening, Shanoa moved further back from the floating glyph, not wanting to be caught up in its blood lust just yet. "I... I wasn't going to kill him." She muttered, hands coming up to her face as she realized that she was quite at fault for the demise of their former kin. "Dominus..."

"Yes, I saw," Albus muttered tensely, putting a steadying hand on her shoulder. "I knew this power would be hard to disjunction from."

"It destroyed him in the end." Shanoa stated, her voice small and quiet - not like her at all. "But I'll host it for now - "

"I'm not letting you absorb it!" Albus cut her off, roughly spinning her to face him. "That goes against everything I have fought for!"

"And if you absorb it, you're going to be possessed!" She admonished loudly, slapping his hands from off of her shoulders, then grabbed at his shirt collar threateningly. He looked at her crossly, a severe look on his features as he rasped 'You don't know that'.  
"Yes I do!" Her eyes were wide and frantic as she shoved him away from her, her resolve failing as she reflected on what Aeon had shown her in the space between time. "I was shown our alternate path - and it involved you dying by my hand!" She paused, seeing the sudden concern on her partner's face.

Albus straightened himself, forcing a calm expression and appeared to be ready to take her seriously. "What do you propose?" He asked as he turned away from their downed adversary and the hovering Glyph, to assume his normative stance when observing and considering things.

"Seal it back in a book until we can figure out what we need to." Shanoa offered, also standing straight and folding her arms lightly over each other. "Anyone who wasn't a Belmont by blood needed help to defeat Dracula. That, and a few of that clan did need help from others. I don't think that either of us could do this alone - we need to work together. Partner." Her gaze trailed past him to see the Glyph start to hover towards Albus at an alarming speed. "-Look out!"

It was too late. The glyph, aptly names Dominus Agony, absorbed itself into Albus's upper back and seared itself into place. He cried out in shock and anguish, stifling any further sound he made by gritting his teeth and clenching his fists tightly as he hunched over and fought the mental onslaught of whispers and the darkness that threatened to overtake his mind.

Thinking fast, Shanoa put on her Strength ring before tackling Albus to the ground, sitting on his chest and pinning down his arms - rather alarmed to see that the light had gone from his eyes, and his flesh had drained of most of its colour. "Drop it!"

"I-I'm trying!" Albus stuttered, his tone fluctuating between a snakey rasp and his normal timbre. "It's resisting!"

Struggling between them ensued, but with Albus more concerned with fighting the effects of Dominus he did what he could to stay pinned in place, entrusting his physical safety to his partner for the moment... a fleeting moment in the end, for doubt seeped into his mind and whispers of him failing her, hurting her, condemning her, started to etch their way into his psyche... and the worst part was...it was working. The final nail in his metaphorical coffin was a heavy weight that descended upon his very being, as if something sat upon him and allowed him the barest of relief just so that he could survive.

_'Gah! Make it stop, make it stop!'_

Of all the mental struggles he had endured, this... was the worst thing he could have ever imagined. All languages he knew, and many he did not, whispered things at once, in a cacophony of sound that was deafening and maddening. The whispers to embrace the darkness were unrelenting, the notions to attack anything that moved grew within him. He felt himself becoming less reserved and rational, turning into a more primal being that could not be reasoned with if he let his concentration slip just a little. One little crack in his resolve and he would likely give unto the rage that demanded blood, demanded that he relieve his internal anguish by tearing something or someone to pieces. He attempted clutching his head as his concentration broke, the whispers of Dominus's powers flooded his mind and his senses, nearly tuning out everything else - even the very words that his partner spoke to him out of concern.  
He heard Shanoa's tone but nothing audible reached his ears - nor did it matter, there was nothing to debate!  
Teeth grit and hands clenching into fists he closed his eyes tightly and looked away, for he was starting to lose his mental grip. But it was too late. He felt his grasp on reality shift and his body started to move on its own, slowly and with jerky movements...

"Shanoa... _kill me_." Albus rasped, sounding so utterly defeated when he managed to voice his request.

"NO!" Shanoa grabbed him by the collar again and nearly slammed his head on the solid ground as she shook the hell out of him, her face squelching up as if she were crying tearlessly. "Drop it now, Albus! I am not losing you!"

Between her efforts to 'shake' Dominus Agony loose from him, and his renewed vigor to mentally chant 'Out!' over and over, they both managed to 'convince' the glyph to release its hold on Albus.

Shanoa immediately absorbed it, and folded over in pain as she fought to catch the winged sigil while in the darkness of her mind's eye. When she touched the design and bent it to her will, she was granted a memory that both of her clansmen, former and current, had shared.

* * *

The setting was unfamiliar to Shanoa, who observed from a third person perspective - again unnerved by seeing things as a separate entity from herself in the memory.

"Showtime." Albus grinned, appearing suddenly in front of her, afterward explaining that he and his teammate would 'show them how it's done'. The researcher seemed a lot more relaxed in this memory so far, if not full-on excited about combat practice.

The room that the two Ecclesians combat partners occupied looked like an empty gymnasium, hardwood floors, whitewashed brick walls, and a high ceiling. A third person soon came clanking into the room in a full armor suit, keeping a fair distance from the two. A sigh was heard from inside the suit of their armor-clad opponent. Their fellow kinsman was more-than-aware of how things were about to go, and was not very keen on battling through another defeat; likely hating 'this part' quite voraciously.

"Lighten up, Stefan." Albus called over, a grin on his face as he and the memory-Shanoa took crouching 'ready' stances next to each other and steadied their attention towards the armored man. "Be a sport."

"Easy for you to say, _Sir_."

When they started, Albus immediately vaulted high into the air and let loose a few regular shots at their 'foe' to provide cover fire for Shanoa as she ran low towards the moving 'tin can', brandishing dual rapiers.

While the two melee combatants battled, Albus landed and circled around to look for an opening to exploit. Their training partner feinted and caught Shanoa off guard for the briefest instant -causing her to merely misstep, but the action cost her the attention of her opponent, who then speed-dashed towards Albus, aiming high at the marksman with a horizontal slash of his sword. The researcher's eyes went wide before he leaned far back to avoid the blade, and when it looked like he was about to fall, he arced into a backwards kickover (back-flip/handstand), setting off his Quadruple _Ignis_ ability defensively rather than offensively. His opponent hesitated at the flames, which cost the other man the match as he was suddenly yanked back into a vulnerable position. Shanoa had wrapped one arm around his armored neck and brandished a glowing rapier at his throat, and Albus stood with his firearm aimed right at the metal helmet.

Conceding the fight, their opponent double-tapped memory-Shanoa's arm and let out a sigh, really hating 'that part' even more.

* * *

"...His name was Stefan," Present day Shanoa muttered to herself as the memory faded, her eyes adjusting to the sights of the underbelly of the mysterious manor and her spot next to the unconscious Albus on the floor. Looking down at her last remaining kinsmen and ally, she resisted the urge to punch him in the shoulder for being such an insufferably stubborn and proud man - taking on everything by himself and shouldering all of the hurt so that she would not feel any remorse or regret. She scooted away from him a bit, resting her head in her hands atop her knees as she reflected with uncertainty why nearly everything had been taken from her.

Much later, Albus regained some semblance of consciousness - which was comparable to that of a zombie. Relieved, Shanoa produced two magical tickets for immediate use. She had wanted to expend a third for Stefan's body but there had been little left of the poor man that she had gathered into an old handkerchief. If he could not be granted any sort of peace in the afterlife, the least she could do was scatter his ashes in a place with a much better view than the dismal mine shafts of the manor's basement.

Not-quite-zombie Albus was barely cognizant enough to use his ticket, so Shanoa took pity and activated it for him. She followed suit a moment later and when they both appeared on the cobblestones of the village square, she hoisted his sitting self up on to his feet, put one of his arms across her shoulders, and looped her free arm around his waist to grip at his belt. Steadying him as best she could, she then guided his deceptively-heavy self back to the infirmary.

Whatever Dominus had done to him, it had certainly done a good job of it. And the sickening feeling in the pit of her stomach told her that she was worried, no, damn near scared to death of her partner having been irrevocably damaged by the glyph. Just great, what a time to find out that another emotion had been unlocked - unsettling concern. But Agony... What if it had taken Albus's memories? His emotions? It had tried to take his life, so maybe he would be fine... Shanoa's mind started to wander down the thought pattern of 'if' he had lost his memories - but she soon shook her head and ground her teeth together as she fought aside such concerns. There would be time to worry about that after she had tended to him.

By the time the two of them hobbled up the stairs to the second floor he was a bit more coherent, but not enough to put her concerns to rest.

"It burns." Albus murmured quietly, eyes hazy and fixated on the floor as they trudged on. To his out-of-sorts self, he felt as if he were trapped in a heavy fog that made it hard to breathe, to think, to act. And he could not find his way out.

"What does?" Turning her head, Shanoa surveyed him with a concerned glance. "Where does it hurt?"

"Domi... -nus..." He trailed off, groaning in pain before bringing a clenched hand to his forehead.

Shanoa realized that he meant where Agony had etched itself on to his person. This was not good. Had the glyph left physical marks? Once she had seated him on the cot in his designated room, she told him to stay put until she returned. It worried her how he just sat in a slumped-over heap, staring ahead as if his very essence had been drained from him. It was too late in the evening to rouse the healer without causing some sort of scene that would definitely awaken more of the villagers, so she swiftly and silently headed down into Abram's supply room and looked for a labelled topical salve for burns.

When she returned to Albus's room, a small amount of relief was granted to her for he had managed to unlace his bracers and had placed them on the cot next to him, his hands presently fumbling with the small buckles of the bandolier around his chest.

"I'll get that for you." She offered, coaxing her hands in between his and nudging them aside. He said nothing in response as his hands fell away, and let her assist him in getting his tack and leathers off.

"I cannot wield Dominus." Albus whispered absently, crushed and devastated. After being relieved of his vest, his gaze staring off at nothing in particular. His eyes bleak and grey like a stormy sea. "I have failed."

"Nonsense," The reassurance was gentle, but Shanoa did not feel as though she made it sound sincere. That and it was hard to be completely serious while unbuttoning a man's shirt halfway. Or at least be completely serious while unbuttoning _this_ man's shirt. Were he in a better state, she would have teased him for still needing a mother to attend to his wardrobe.  
"We will figure out what went wrong. Don't worry." She requested him to turn to one side and lower the back of his shirt and undershirt so that she could survey the damage.

The sigil of Agony had indeed burned its likeness into two thirds of the middle of Albus's back, the marks looking as if they had been cut into his skin and then cauterized with hot instruments. Indeed, the glyph was very aptly named.

Wasting no more time, Shanoa applied the burn while extending the function of her _Fides Fio_ glyph in an attempt to help jump-start his mind again.  
Albus was quiet after his initial sharp breath intake, as he afterward grit his teeth and tried not to make any noise. Once he was salved and bandaged, (having managed to insist that he leave his undershirt on for modesty's sake) he flopped forward on his cot tiredly.

As Shanoa pulled the bed sheet over him, he managed a coherent - though exhausted-sounding- sentiment. "Ah-ah... gently. thank you. Just... going to pass out now." The pain subsided enough to lull him into the unconscious bliss of a healing sleep.

* * *

Sometime through his second REM cycle, a few hours after he had fallen asleep, Albus lingered in the dream levels longer than normal, causing him to have a vivid dream where he was held on to a mortally wounded Shanoa, trying his best to keep her conscious. There was no context to the scene, as the surrounding atmosphere was a strange pulsing black and red miasma, as though they were hovering somewhere between time and space.

"Shanoa, hold on! - you have yet to do the greatest thing in the world." He encouraged, despite his words nearly getting stuck in his throat.

"Have children?" She asked weakly, a faint glimmer in her tiring eyes.

He let out a breath, laughing slightly, yet somewhat pained at the suggestion. "Okay, second best."

"Eat seconds of Irina's tart tatin?" Her eyes closed for a short while, opening only halfway afterward.

"...Third best?"

"Feel real emotions?" Her voice had gone much weaker by that point.

"Hilarious. See, you're going to... be fine..." He choked on his own words as he tried to be humorous, cringing and forcing himself not to tear-up. "I meant defeat Dracula and bring mankind peace."

Instead of laughing, Shanoa coughed, and put a hand to the side of his face while raggedly telling him that she did not want to see him cry. Albus nuzzled his cheek against her palm, supporting it with a free hand the instant before it slackened and fell from his grip when she succumbed to her grievous injuries.

* * *

Normally, Albus would have startled awake from such a dream, but he simply opened his eyes and found himself lying on his right side, inches from the wall next to the cot in his room at the infirmary. He leaned up on the one arm and glanced behind him to see Shanoa nestled against his back, sleeping peacefully and with an arm curled over his waist. Her idea of keeping vigil was far less chivalrous than his, it seemed. Not that he was complaining, but he would kick her out later if only to keep up with his habit of being difficult whenever they got too close.


	10. Tough Decisions

Both Shanoa and Albus were rather quiet throughout breakfast, to the point that Irina could not help but tease the young pair by asking they had gotten into a fight. To that, Shanoa said nothing and shook her head faintly while continuing to absent-mindedly spoon at her porridge.

Shuffling through week-old newspapers for what was probably the seventh time that morning, Albus let out a sigh at the older woman and plainly offered that they had not  
had a quarrel, _yet_, but that was subject to change. When Irina temporarily left the room, he leaned over the table and whispered, "First thing tomorrow, we'll seek the old man out for answers."

"And what happens if... we're forced to fight... _him_?" Reaching for her tea, Shanoa's uncertain question came off quiet, and she had avoided saying Barlowe's name out loud. Her eyes downcast and focusing on the teacup in her hands, her grip so tight on the little cup that it was a wonder that she had not crushed it. "What then, if we have to relieve him from his position?"

"Then we take over the Order. Set things right." Albus gave a sigh before speaking, which said volumes of his own insecurity regarding his answers. "Forgoing that, then we continue our work as independent agents, and I'll further research _if _we actually _can _wield Dominus safely. To that end, we'll await the time that we are needed to fight Dracula directly."

Shanoa bobbed her head in a nod, muttering a few words that expressed in a less-than-excited way that she agreed with the back-up plan. Albus noted her off-character melancholy but said nothing of it for the moment, opting to shift his attention towards trying to choke down more of his breakfast. Everything felt like such a trial since his little bout with Dominous Agony - eating and drinking was a chore as it felt like everything got stuck in his throat. Even breathing was laborious - as if he were in a high elevation and had not adjusted his lung capacity yet. Likely it was all stress catching up to him... he knew he had to keep it together and not suffer a panic attack, for both their sakes. He could see that his partner was also very apprehensive about the next step they had to take in their mission, but neither of them were sure anymore about the validity of their actions.  
Yes, between the two of them they harboured a weapon that had been purported to have the power to defeat Dracula. But they had since found out that it was made from the very remains of the Count himself. Had they signed their own death warrants and had bought one-way tickets to a fire and brimstone afterlife? Evil begets evil, they say. And with the two of them having wandered down a dark path under the guise of wanting to do good for the world, they had been blind to the truth of the power they had sought to wield.

Master Barlowe had a _lot_ to answer for.

"Albus...?" Shanoa whispered quietly, now looking into the tea leaves at the bottom of her cup. "Have we forsaken the heavens? Even though we didn't know what we were dealing with? Our mission has not changed, even with everything else coming to light... we're decidedly here to fight for mankind's right to look to the dawn without fearing the darkness... but I still feel so unsettled about all this."

"It's all just semantics in the end. Splicing hairs and religious piety nonsense." Albus replied, shrugging nonchalantly. He believed as much, but he had already done his fair share of wondering the same thing. And still was. "You could converse with Father Nikolai on the matter, if that would set your mind at ease?"

"Perhaps." She nodded again, brows knitting while she reflected on her moment in the 'time rift'. "During my... out of body experience, I asked one of the great Belmonts regarding the matter... he pretty much just told me to be careful with how the darkness can twist things." With that, she looked up and made eye-contact with her combat partner across the table. "So I suppose that as long as we are indeed keeping true to the vestigial pillars of light, then we're not going to burn as heretics."

"That would be a good way to look at it." Albus admitted, a half-smile surfacing in a weak attempt to pacify her concerns more. "We've sought to help others, and we have kept to our original mission. We have stumbled, and have peered into the abyss - but we haven't fallen yet."

"We have blood on our hands, though." Eyes drifted down to the remnants of her tea again. "-I mean, I do. That was entirely on me. And I nearly killed you, too."

A long pause of silence between them passed, until Albus managed a hoarse whisper as he tried to keep his emotions in check. "I asked you to."

"Well. Good thing I never listen to you..." She gave an embittered laugh, and then mentally admonished herself for making such a jest in poor taste. Albus's humor was rubbing off, likely. "If you... if my hand had been forced and I lost you... I don't know what I'd do."

"-Yes, you do." The immediate response was harsh yet quiet, and Albus's expression pained at the concept of his near-passing and yet also at how this otherwise strong young woman seemed so emotionally vulnerable.  
"You would carry on and see things through to the end. You would seek the answers to your questions and you would not falter in your step. When you set your mind to something, none can stand in your way. You have always been like that, and though it's annoying in a familial setting, it is courageous and inspiring in a justice and conflict setting."

Shanoa shaded her eyes with one hand and looked away upon his sincere compliments, moreso to hide the smirk on her face that formed at his dramatic descriptiveness. "You fool..." She muttered good-naturedly, giving her head a little shake at her partner's expense. "Thank you. I needed to hear that - I feel a bit more self-assured now."

"As long as you don't let it go to your head."

"Hmm, yes, then I'd end up like you. Can't have that."

"Not in a million years." Albus beamed, self-deprecating if only to cause a bit of a smile and a distraction from her concerns. "I've many years of being an insufferable, prideful so-and-so. You'll never catch up."

"Nor would I want to!" She laughed quietly at first, then a lot louder after she received a light kick under the table. "This is one round of tag I am fine with losing."

With a shake of his head, Albus retorted with a dry 'Har har' as he settled back into reading the article he held in hand, no longer interesting in maintaining a conversation with his presently sassy companion.

Irina chuckled at her 'eldest children' when she returned to tidy up the rest of the dishes in the small kitchen. Having heard a bit of their 'argument', the matronly woman suggested that if they were expecting to have a rather loud row, they ought to take a walk someplace where they would not be overheard or cause concern to the others in the village. (The pair of had already garnered a reputation for loud disagreements between themselves, and though it was seen as a humorous for the most part, it could very well become a concern if they were not discreet in their more serious 'discussions'.)  
It was a good idea on Irina's part, for what Albus and Shanoa had to discuss was not the lightest or easiest of topics, and both had their own vehement opinions about matters pertaining to Dominus that would likely result in loud conversation, if not an outright argument.

A period of silence passed; the light rustling of paper and the 'clink' of one teacup returning to its saucer were some of the only sounds for some time from the pair, while Irina busied herself with packing the young adults a lunch pail.

"Well, if you'll excuse me." Shanoa said quietly, having finished her tea. She stood up out of her chair, brushed off the back of her dress and then dusted her hands off on each other before looking over at Albus. "I am going to seek Father Nikolai for counsel."

Having glanced up at her even before she had addressed him again, Albus nodded in silence, his expression communicating to her that he hoped she would find some solace in talking to the elderly priest.

Yet Shanoa just stood there before him, a plain expression on her face. And it felt as if her eyes were trying to bore holes straight through him.

Brow furrowing, Albus's demeanour fell into an over-exaggerated frown. "What, I'm going too?"

"Of course." She replied, her arms having folded lightly across each other. "We're both in this mess together, and so we both should seek validation for our actions."

"You make it sound like we're living in sin or something," He muttered as he rose out of his own chair and trudged towards the hallway to follow her after her matter-of-factly retort.

Despite how open for teasing Albus had left himself, Irina refrained from commenting and ushered both him and Shanoa out the door with the care package, telling them not to return home until they had sorted their matters. Or sundown. Whichever came first.

"Thank you, _mother_." Albus joked half-heartedly, assuring that they would be back by curfew, then allowed himself to be herded out of the hospice alongside Shanoa.

Irina beamed, quipping 'Less sass, more class, young man', giving a chuckle as she waved the two onward, telling them to be safe and that she would see them when they returned.

* * *

_'Great',_ Albus thought to himself as he sat through yet another chat with an overly-zealous religious man in the researcher's lifetime. Even though he had dealt with more than a fair share of supremely religious folk in the Order, he always found that his eyes would glaze over and his attention would waver if the person addressing him was far too 'simple' in their beliefs and could not mix religion and science together.

It _was_ possible to mix the two - and Ecclesia certainly had found a lovely balance of them - but when it came to more backwater clerics... Albus just did not have the patience for those who thought that it was a sin to know the real biological processes of how genetics were passed on, that life forms evolve over time, or that the Earth was actually older than any holy books and scriptures otherwise suggested.

Yet as he sat at the front of the church on a pew next to Shanoa while she talked with Father Nikolai about their Order and their plight, he was surprised to see that the old priest was rather accepting of their situation. Eventually, Albus's closed-off posture - slouching slightly in his seat with crossed-arms over his chest, slipped into a more relaxed an open stature as leaned forward to rest his forearms on his lap - body language that communicated his interest in what was going on around him.

Father Nikolai reassured the two fighters that he thought that they were on the right path, for they did keep to their original goals to help mankind by fighting the darkness, and he did not find any fault with such a noble aim. The means of their method, however, made him pause and think for a bit.

Shanoa had explained it as questionably-sourced powers, and that they were going to speak to their former mentor about the truth of its origins on the morrow. She also admitted that she had a bad feeling about their supposed great weapon, and was further worried about her and Albus being tainted by its strange magic.

"I just want to know if we're damning ourselves by even having come into contact with such a thing." She admitted quietly, somewhat tired after the lengthy and at times rather circular conversation. "I don't want either of us to be corrupted."

"The only one who can really answer your question, my dear," Father Nikolai spoke softly as he approached her and placed his hands on her shoulders in a kind gesture. "Is God." The elderly priest smiled kindly at her, silently willing her to cheer up. "Walk in the light - openly, honestly - and you will not falter."

Shanoa nodded firmly, not bothering to force a smile, for she could tell by the expectant look the priest wore he had more to say. "Was there anything else, Father?"

"Well, actually..."

Albus face-palmed as Father Nikolai thanked the two, and then asked them to speak again with the other villagers to ease their next round of burdens.

Before they left for the day, Shanoa and Albus begrudgingly checked in with the others inhabitants of Wygol to see if everyone was doing well and if anyone needed anything that either of the two capable young folk could do in service to them. A few small requests were made, nothing of consequence, but notes had been made for later.

As such, cashmere thread had been turned in to Monica the seamstress, who was floored by the supposed effort that the two had gone through to get such materials for little ol' her.

"Th-This is cashmere thread?" She squeaked, face a flush in a bright rosy hue. " Where did you FIND these? For me? Y-You're amazing!"

To thank them, she gave Shanoa a fancy light green party dress and gave Albus a dinner coat and cravat of the same colour to match. The two combat partners glanced at each other, wordlessly communicating their disdain for the hue of green. But then both smiled at Monica, thanked her for the lovely garments and moved to exit her shop.

"I'll make others, and I'll have them sold at the general store." The seamstress waved goodbye and started to say more, but as she spoke her confidence waned and her tone dropped to a near whisper. "You could buy them. If you wanted to. By mistake, maybe."

"We'll be sure to check out your quality wares, Miss Monica. Don't fret." Trying his best to be polite, Albus had turned to give the seamstress a reassuring smile and a small wave before abruptly closing the door behind him. Letting out a breath in relief, he then attempted to put a positive spin on their new garments by quietly stating that they now had attire for Christmas or Easter.

The next stop that ate up some of their time was visiting Daniella the elder to drop off the sketches of the Tristis Pass waterfall and the cross at the Oblivion Ridge chapel that Shanoa had completed for her. The elderly woman's face lit up when the two youths appeared at her door and she immediately invited them in for tea and biscuits.

"Hello dear, good to see you again." Daniella said to Shanoa, then looked over at Albus with a smile. "And you've brought the rascal along with you. Wonderful."

The researcher raised a brow and glanced at Shanoa briefly in suspicion, before nodding politely to Daniella and greeting her 'hello'.

Once they were all seated in the living room and had been served tea, Daniella looked over the sketches from Shanoa and smiled warmly at the stir of memories that each place brought to her mind.

"Drawings are so great. The same scenery is completely different between artists. And these days, they have those photographs-a reporter showed me. But I like these drawings a hundred times better, because you drew them.

A tinge of embarrassment struck Shanoa, the sincere compliment was unexpected and was nice to hear. Though she could not blush, her expression looked as if she were fighting to not let her cheeks turn pink, all the while keeping her gaze focused on her teacup. But soon she felt anything but embarrassment once Daniella approached her and handed over a dowsing hat.

"This is my thanks for the drawings. Please keep it." The elder smiled and then shuffled back to her chair, oblivious to Shanoa elbowing Albus in the ribs after he had made an amused, incoherent sound at her having received yet another hat.

"I hope it's enough for all you've given me. We've lost lots of things, but... sometimes we gain things too, you know? Like you, for example. Like myself. We've each gained a friend. Now, those are priceless, so let's not lose them."

The guests stayed for another short story about the elder's past life battling monsters with her dear grandfather, before her memory retreated back into the recesses of her mind and the old warrior's persona faded to that of a tragically senile old woman.

Moving to excuse themselves, Shanoa and Albus thanked Daniella for the refreshments

"Do come again. You're always welcome here." The elder smiled and nodded as she escorted them out of her home, placing a hand on one of Shanoa's arms. When the young woman paused, she spoke to her in confidence, voice low but clear. "Say, Shanoa, when it's all over, why don't the two of us go on a picnic?"

"When it's all over?"

"I can sort of tell that you're up against something serious. When it's over, come on by. I'll prepare a lovely cake for your return."

"I would like that." Shanoa nodded gratefully, and placed a hand atop Daniella's, squeezing gently to reaffirm her sincerity.

Rejoining Albus, who had gone on ahead to give the ladies some privacy, they then stopped in at the smithy's shop to turn in the silver ore that they had been lucky to collect. Shanoa took over the transaction as she had the last time, while her partner stood patiently by the door and observed.

"Lady, I don't want to know what is you're up against out there." If Eugen was pleased with the silver ore, he certainly didn't show it. But he did nod appreciatively and gave her a hefty finder's fee for the ore. "But if you find that gold ore... I'll beat 'em into shape as best I can for you."

Subconsciously, Shanoa imitated the blacksmith's habit of giving a curt nod. "Thank you very much."

"No thanks needed." Eugen said in his gruff voice, returning his attention to the piece he was working on. "We're all just doing what we can out here. That's all there is to it."

Another nod and Shanoa took her leave, exiting after Albus opened the door for her and followed her outside. Without a word between them, they concluded that their business was finished with the villagers and it was time to be on their way for their pressing 'talk'.

As they crossed the village square, Albus did a shoulder-check and his eye caught Abram the healer making his way back to the hospice. Stating 'go on ahead, I'll catch up,' to Shanoa, he then turned and jogged towards Abram.

"Here's your Mandrake Root!" Albus called, holding up a squirming bag that he pulled from his inventory and tossed it to the healer

Abram balked at having something thrown his way, and grimaced with an audible 'eww' after catching the moving bag. "I didn't need it this fresh!" He turned rather pale as he looked at the other man rather incredulously.

"You didn't specify!" Albus called over his shoulder as he retreated towards the south end of the village square. "And don't worry, if it 'goes off', it only hurts _a lot_!"

* * *

Mid afternoon of the calm day was warm but not uncomfortably so, as the sky was partly cloudy and a light wind kept things just cool enough. The forest was quiet as usual, yet there were sounds of birds in the trees a short distance, which was a good sign to take into consideration. Had the forest been dead silent, it would be a cause for concern.

The wandering duo took a path that lead southeast and walked for a long time in silence, only marred by the odd comment of pointing out something interesting in the distance which would be met with a nod from the other, or a quiet query of which direction to take whenever they came to a fork in the road. Without communicating out loud, then had both been of the mind to take the path that lead back to the sea, and the area where they had encountered the Rusalka the prior week.

Pointing over to a sand dune near the tree line of the shore, Shanoa headed in the direction of the small rise, casting a glance over her shoulder to see if Albus had followed suit. He did so once he was able to tear his gaze away from the waves of the sea, and moved to take a seat next to Shanoa on the crest of the humble dune. The breeze carried the sound of waves and the occasional cry of gulls, giving an overall calming ambiance coupled with the scent of the sea and the faint moisture in the air.

"This isn't easy." Albus admitted aloud after some time of silence had passed, both content to look out at the sea and gaze at the sunbeams in the distance poking through the clouds and striking the water. "Even before you... lost your memories, this was always an unresolved point of contention between us."

Shanoa nodded silently, having drawn her legs up to lean her folded arms atop her knees. She figured that if she were indeed anything like her old self, then what Albus had said was so accurate that it hurt.

"Some things never change, I guess." She closed her eyes for a moment, bowing her head slightly. "You being so protective, and my wanting to protect you in return."

It was Albus's turn to nod silently, though he had almost protested when she had spoken of him being defensive, but halted when she had admitted to feeling the same vice-versa in that department.

"Though you encourage me now," Pausing, Shanoa then shook her head lightly, keeping her gaze fixed on the sand by her feet. "No, that's not right. You've always encouraged me." A small smile wormed its way across her mouth, but she did not make eye-contact. "But despite how much you cheer me on, and believe in me, it just..." A sigh, and she looked upwards into the partly cloudy sky.

"It all feels a bit null-and-void when you get so overly protective - as if you don't really believe it yourself, or believe all those encouraging words you tell me. -It feels like you think I'm going to break under the slightest pressure."

A heavy sigh sounded from Albus as he brought his hands to his face and silently rubbed at his eyes for a few seconds before running his hands up and into his hairline, doing his best not to pull at his locks in frustration. Resting his elbows atop his bent knees, he let out another, longer, sigh and stared ahead at the waves of the sea.

"Every word I have said in confidence has been honest. You _are _remarkable, Shanoa." He murmured, closing his eyes and letting loose another huff in irritation at himself for having caused such an obvious crack in their day-to-day camaraderie.  
"I know how strong you are - how strong you have always been. You have endured so much, but... no matter how strong you become, I will always be concerned for your well being. And I will always find myself wondering if you're okay when our missions are apart. -It's not that I doubt you, it's just what people who are close do - they worry for each other. And when it comes to people like us, we don't get to live long and safe lives, so I will always wonder if we will see each other again." A pause, coupled with a melancholy side-glance.  
"...The matters of my heart are tiring, I know. And I would apologize, but I cannot apologize for taking to heart to make sure that you live through the darkest nights in order to see the dawn again."

"But that's what we _both_ do." Her words quiet, Shanoa paused and placed a hand over one of her combat partners'. "And what we seek to do for mankind. Granted, it's good practice to start with whom we are closest to, but it is a bit counter-productive of our purposes if we only focus on each other."

"Well, I never claimed to be a good man." Shaking his head, Albus tried to give a small laugh to accent the dry humor he had conjured but it was in vain. Truth be told, he felt more like wallowing in sorrow than laughing at that moment. "As 'noble' as our cause is, my first concern has always been a bit more close to home. I am _terrible_, and I am not even sorry for it."

While Albus shook his head and admonished himself for being a selfish person, Shanoa gave a bit of a sigh and leaned over to rest her head on his closest shoulder.

"Well... if you can't give your all for one person, then how could you be expected to give your all for the good of mankind?" The small smile that she offered tinted her next words with a light-hearted consciousness. "Anyway, we're stuck together in this mission. Not that I'm complaining. Much. I could be stuck with a more insufferable combat partner, I suppose."

At that, both ex-Ecclesians laughed good-naturedly, relaxing their guards and sitting up properly, side by side, to watch the seascape before them for some time in amicable silence.

The moment of peace was well deserved and so very much needed after their exploits and recent dealings with the darkness. As there was no huge threat to the surrounding countryside, there was nothing wrong with them taking a well-earned break in order to restore their minds and their bodies. After all, they could not fight for the sake of the light very well when their earthly forms were in shambles and their psyches about to break. And the serenity of their subconscious choice of locale did wonders for them. It was quiet, the perfect temperature, and the salty air did wonders for them in ways that they would never have imagined. Albus breathed in the sea air deeply and let out a long breath, eyes closed and a content look on his face. Shanoa did the same, scooting forward a bit so that she could lay back against the dune, enjoying the warmth of the sand on her back and shoulders.

Yet their mental holiday had to be put on hold, for they still had not finalized the decision on what to do with Dominus. Shanoa was the first to break the silence, quietly offering that she did not mind bearing the power completely. To further her argument, she pointed out that it had already taken so much from her before - there was little left she had to lose.

Whatever calm that Albus had collected into himself certainly vanished at her utterance of taking in all three pieces of Dominus. "I'll do it. I've told you time and time again that my first priority is to protect you."

Shanoa bit at her bottom lip, not at all surprised by his reluctance and his straightforward response. She hoisted herself up off the ground and stood to face him, her arms folding in on each other across her chest. "You're always taking on everything by yourself. Have you even considered my feelings? As _I _have said, Dominus already took everything from me."

Albus had grown silent, but not in a somber fashion as he usually did when caving to Shanoa's points in a serious discussion. His expression darkening with each sentence she uttered in defense of her thoughts on the matter. "No, I won't allow this."

"You don't understand, do you? I have to protect what little I have left, and that includes you!" She opened her arms to either side of her, a gesture normally reserved for those exasperated and trying to plead their case to another party. "I've already been broken by Dominus, so what does it matter anymore if I become the bearer?"

Well that did it. Something inside of the researcher snapped and he stood rather abruptly, grabbing Shanoa's shoulders and holding her in place as he practically yelled in her face that he could not bear to lose her again. And just as suddenly as anger had arisen, it melted away and he nearly caved into the embarrassment and sorrow that followed suit, his anguished expression stuck as he fought himself from letting any tears fall.  
Quietly Shanoa murmured his name, her own appearance softening as she studied the look in her partner's eyes. Reaching up to touch a hand to the side of his head, she then gently wrapped her arms around his neck and tugged him closer to give him a supportive hug. Mutely, Albus encircled his arms around her and rested his forehead on one of her shoulders. He was quiet for a while, fighting to keep his composure, then managing to weakly mutter that no matter what they ended up deciding - she had to promise him she would not _use_ Dominus.

"If either of us take the role of bearer, the other will hurt. That much is clear." Shanoa murmured after a minute or two of supportively hugging her companion. "We're both too stubborn to let the other be harmed in their place - and yet we're both set on seeing this mission to the end."

Albus raised his head from her shoulder and looked at her through reddened eyes, not quite ready to continue arguing with her just yet - lest his voice crack or sound small and unsure, so he simply heard her out.

Easing out of his grasp, Shanoa took a half-step back before continuing, but kept her hands pressed gently atop his upper arms. "Is there any chance we could agree to... see this to the end together?"

It was a hard question to ask, and Albus did not envy her for mustering up the gall to even pose such a question. To offer to suffer, and die, for another person was one thing, but to offer to suffer at their side was a completely different matter. And not an easy one to consider or expect of another.

"That... is a hefty question." He whispered, his words somewhat unnecessary as he had just merely stated the obvious of something that they were both painfully aware of. "And a heck of a stalemate." Stepping out of reach and glancing to one side, he considered a thought for a moment before speaking it aloud. "Whether or not Dominus would remain inactive once the bearer takes it to their grave without using it- we've seen what Agony did to someone who wasn't prepared, and didn't have all three pieces."

"So if it is indeed sentient enough then even just taking it into ourselves will only delay the glyph until we wither away and succumb to old age." Shanoa mused, frowning at the concept of the glyphs out-waiting their life spans.

"If Dracula _does_ arise in our time, we _will_ have to rid the world of Dominus and history its ill-begotten creation." With a nod, Albus continued with his outpouring of thoughts. "The question remains whether or not Dominus would take half a soul from each of us - or take two souls instead of the single sacrifice. It is lose-lose, either way. No matter what we do. There has to be a way to defeat Dracula without using that power."

"We're living weapons, our sole purpose is combat and the completion of our mission to dispatch the darkness. Our hand has been forced, so we have to use whatever is necessary to achieve our goal." Shanoa's expression was serious, but she tilted her head slightly and gave a small smirk as she applied a bit of pressure in the only way she knew how in that moment: looking innocent and pleading her case.

"So do me the honor of fighting by my side, and allow me to fight by yours. To the bitter end. Please."

'_Oh, she's getting too good at that ploy.'_ Albus thought as he gave her a flat look, mouth open slightly due to the audacity of her little act to get her way in such a serious decision. All things considered, she was lucky that she was who she was. Anyone else would have gotten a lengthy lecture on ethics right then and there. But there was not anyone else in the whole cosmos that Albus would want to fight alongside with. Even if he had to try to force down his sense of preserving her safety over his. They were supposed to be a team, and his actions were holding them back from becoming stronger than ever before. If he could stop worrying about her, and focus on them being a balanced pair of fighters, then they would have a much better chance of not dying for their cause. Despite that they both had little fear of dying for the greater good.

And if they were to perish together... well... Albus could think of a worse fate for himself. Shanoa felt the same, as she had stated earlier, despite her partner's assurances that she could pick up and continue without him. Albus, though, was not so sure how well he would be able to go on if he completely lost his partner. He had already gone through hell and back with her amnesiac self. Losing her to the great beyond while he lived, was something he never wanted to experience. So in that, the idea of them sharing a grim fate was only slightly better.

"I could seriously hate you right now." He muttered, shaking his head. "But it's impossible to dislike someone who argues her case so well. Partner."

Saddened smiles were exchanged between them and they silently confirmed that they were indeed going to shoulder the burden of Dominus together. And if absolutely necessary, if there was no other way to end the battle against Dracula, then they would consider joint-casting the complete trio of Dominus. But as long as the dire and extreme decision remained off the table, they would keep to bearing the glyphs within them, for it was the most effective way to cloak the power contained within them.

"I'll keep Agony. It's too risky for you to bear it again." Shanoa offered, wondering how they were going to manage to keep an odd number of pieces between the two of them. Shifting to one side, she returned to her lazy spot against the small dune.

"Keeping _Anger _on my firearm increases its risk of self-destructing in my hands." Albus returned to sitting on the sand dune a moment later, leaving a polite distance between them. "And it might not junction the spell properly. If we mis-cast the trio, then you might... you know."

"Perhaps." Shanoa continued to stare up into the clouds absentmindedly. "The same goes for you."

"Once we're back in Ecclesia's halls, I should be able to find the right equipment to try one last time to inscribe a channelling rune on to myself. That failing, I'll see if I can imbue Agony on to the back of my vest." After crossing his arms, Albus gave a quiet hum sound as he rubbed his chin in thought, further wondering on the possibility to fudge the odds in their favor and only lose half of their souls to the spell. And that failing, if the spell would have double the effect with two lives powering it. A third angle formed, that Dominus would demand one of them and leave the other... It was an even more grim prospect. If it came to that, he would do whatever he could to take Shanoa's place.

"What if..." Steeling herself for another dark concept, Shanoa swallowed at a lump that had risen in her throat. Was she really that subconsciously anxious about dying? No, she couldn't be. "What if it takes half our lives, but leaves us... broken? Or worse? Like zombies."

"I'd say that I don't want to think about that, but it is an angle to consider." Albus mused, still rubbing at his chin lightly. "From what I can deduce, we have a much greater chance to both perish, than to become shambling husks of our former selves. ...I suppose that isn't all that reassuring, is it?"

"Not really." Shanoa admitted, surprisingly stoic about the matter. "And I know you're about to say that we should carry on under the assumption of the worst case scenario. But as willing as I am to die for our cause, I wouldn't mind living for it either." To better occupy her attention while discussing such a matter, she fiddled with the ribbons on her left sleeve. "After this mission, I want to see the world. Either as a human, or as a spirit. It doesn't matter."

"As long as we get the results we aimed for, that's all that matters in the grand scale of things." A curt nod from the researcher, who was becoming quite happy that the dark conversation had turned a bit lighter for the time being. "But I like that idea as well. Seeing the world. Corporeal or otherwise."

Reaching over, Shanoa grabbed his hand and held it, giving a light squeeze. Albus squeezed back once and let out a more relieved breath.

"Until we are needed to fight Dracula, then we will carry on as before. Helping those in need." A pause, and a low chuckle as Albus turned his head to look at his partner. "-But only if they're being attacked by monsters. No more of this fetch-quest stuff. Agreed?"

Without a moment of hesitation Shanoa replied, "More than you'll ever know." As much as she liked 'serving' others, she felt a bit used by all the requests of the villagers. But if they were to create a stronger sense of community through their efforts, then, perhaps it was not such a bad thing to be an errand girl from time to time. But for now, it was time to relax and take a well-earned break.

"We still have some time before curfew," she chuckled, removing her hand from Albus's and striking a pose similar to his usual 'observing' stance. "I put forth the motion that we laze about here and watch the sunset."

"I second the motion." Albus nodded, moving his arms up to cradle his head to allot for more comfortable relaxation against the sand dune. "All in favor?"

Two simultaneous 'aye's sounded from the pair, to which Shanoa asked 'all opposed?' and they both paused as if awaiting someone else to speak. Laughter sounded from them a moment later and they continued their vigil of watching the scenery before them.

Time passed, and the clouds dissipated as the evening fell and the colours of the sunset painted the sky in bright and brilliant hues of red, yellow and all varieties of orange and pink in between, as the sun sank below the horizon - looking like the very sea was gently absorbing the fiery ball into its depths. The dark blue of the night sky slowly impressed its way into view from behind them, the stars starting to dot the sky one by one as night fell.

Looking at the darkening sky, Shanoa recalled something she had deemed important to take care of as soon as possible, and reached into her inventory for a small and dusty bundle. When Albus looked over in interest, she quietly mentioned that she had wanted to scatter the ashes of their fallen kinsman.

Saying nothing, Albus hauled himself up to his feet, dusted the sand off of himself and offered a hand up to Shanoa. She took the hand and stood, not bothering to rid her dress of the sand in the same manner, opting to take a pivoting step and twirled lightly. It only worked a little, but enough to prove satisfactory in her own opinion. Taking a few steps towards the sea, she considered a moment on what would be better; scattering the remains into the water, or into the wind over the beach.

"This is a bit of a dilemma," Albus admitted quietly, looking from the sea to the beach, as if he had the same thought that Shanoa had. But it turned out to be a different concern. "Cremation rituals are practiced by many cultures, but... we're from one that discourages the act."

A solemn nod as Shanoa considered that a proper burial for the remains might be best, but there was only so much to lay to rest. Perhaps it was just hair-splitting and semantics again. "At this point, he is already gone." She murmured, looking at the bundle in her hands with pity. "And religious leaders would likely argue that he has been lost, as he was corrupted by something deemed unholy."

"Well, then we can't harm him by attempting to show his remains some respect." Another glance around before Albus turned back to Shanoa. "A lovely spot you've picked. Very thoughtful of you. -I'll say a few words. If you'd stand with your back to the wind, then you can release the ashes afterwards."

Shanoa nodded and once she oriented herself with the wind, she was parallel with the shore. Albus stood next to her and folded his hands lightly at waist level. They then both lowered their heads respectfully during the very short sermon.

"We hereby cast these earthly remains, now purified by fire, lifted by the winds and returned to the earth, now and forever into eternity." Albus spoke softly, earnestly, and when finished he put a hand atop of the bundle of ashes in a goodbye gesture to the deceased.

Shanoa silently said her own goodbye to their kinsman, and awaited for the wind to pick up a bit before she untied the bundle and held the fabric up into the air, allowing for the ashes to be picked up by the wind and scattered along the length of the beach before them. Another moment of silence passed before she tucked away the handkerchief and turned to look out across the sea.

When there was but the barest touch of sunlight was still on the horizon, a streak of bright green and danced across the sky above them, flickering, wavering, and fluttering its varying hues of emerald like a cosmic banner. The new sight caused Shanoa to stare up at the phenomenon in wonder.

"Aurora Borealis, right?" She asked, not noticing that she left her mouth open in awe at the celestial event.

"Grandiose stories have been given to the phenomena by different cultures, most surrounding souls or spirits - jubilant or vengeful." Albus nodded, also watching the lights. "Medieval Christians, however, believed it to be a sign from God."

Nodding thoughtfully, Shanoa turned her attention back to the northern lights and scooted closer to her partner so that she could rest her head on his shoulder. "Well, whatever it truly is, it's a magnificent sight."

Agreeing, Albus nodded at her and put an arm across her shoulders in a light side hug. "That it is."

* * *

Returning to Wygol well after the curfew that Irina had set, Shanoa and Albus quietly made their way back to the infirmary, thinking themselves very stealthy as they moved quietly and managed to sneak inside without making enough of a noise to alert anyone to their presence. They were both halfway up the main staircase to the recovery ward before they stopped still upon hearing the sound of someone clearing their throat. Irina stood in the doorway to the small kitchen, arms crossed and a wooden spoon in one hand, looking up the stairwell at the younger adults.

"And where have you two been?" She asked with feigned aggravation, for a moment later she gave a laugh and shook her head. "Sorry, I couldn't help myself - it was too easy! Come have some tart tatin, it's still warm."

Once the wayward pair had seated themselves in the kitchen, Irina revealed that she had made the fruity dessert to thank them.

"I'm sorry, again. Asking you to go out and fight werewolf creatures... It's just that, when things need doing, I keep on thinking about them until they get done! But now I can rest easy. So here, for you." After serving them each a plate and offering tea to go with it she helped herself to a small piece and once they had all taken a few bites, she asked, "So, were those monsters wolves? Or were they human?"

Shanoa replied that she was not sure, despite having been up close and personal to the foes, while Albus offered that there were several stories on the creatures of contrasting nature that did not help identify them as either for sure.

"Well, that's going to bother me for a while... Hmm..." Irina nodded, setting her fork on the side of her plate. "At any rate, I glad you two are home safe now. I rest easier with you around."

When she was about to excuse herself and say goodnight, Serge came bursting into the infirmary, frantically calling for his mother once before seeing her in the small kitchenette with Shanoa and Albus. "-Come quick, something's wrong with Anna! And Tom is going berserk!"

Worried for her little girl, Irina was the first to rush out of the kitchen, following at the heels of her son who led the way back to their house. The former-Ecclesians silently exchanged a glance before hurrying out after Irina and Serge and following them next door. Up in Anna's room, they found the other two standing just behind a defensive-looking Tom, who stood facing a pacing Anna, his tail puffed up and his back arched, hissing and spitting whenever she got too close to anyone else.

"Who... are you..." Anna looked at the newcomers into her room, her eyes dark and clouded, voice oddly low, raspy, and malevolent for such a sweet little girl. "I thought... I'd gotten... rid of that... annoying cat, and now... you...!"

Shanoa glanced at Albus and quietly asked 'demonic possession?', her voice barely heard over the fuss that Irina, Serge, and Tom were making over their family member.

Suddenly 'Anna' screeched and clutched at her head. "Damn...cat! That flower you swallowed...? No! Grrraaaargh!"

Tom gave a 'Mrowr', sitting on the floor and looking down at a damp lump in front of him that appeared to have once been a plant.

Anna fell to her knees and started to cough, then looked up to see everyone standing before her. She then reached out to Tom and gathered the grey cat in her arms, thanked him, and then quietly admonished him for eating the evil-flower that he had hacked up, reminding him that was toxic. Irina moved to console her youngest child, checking her over for physical harm.

Anna gave her mother a thankful smile, then looked over to Shanoa. "Father Nikolai said all I need is another kind of charm or something... Um...it's a stone called ch...ch...chrysoberyl. Can you find one?"

Fishing around in their inventory, Albus dug out a citrus-coloured stone that they had come across some days earlier and had yet to get appraised by Laura. Tapping Shanoa on the shoulder with the stone, he passed it over to her when she turned to see what he wanted. Nodding in thanks, she then knelt by Anna and offered the stone to the girl.

"Oh! Is this chrysoberyl? Thank you! But Tom has no way to carry a stone... If only it were like an accessory, then Tom could wear it."

"It's getting late, but Miss Laura should still be up." Shanoa offered, taking back the stone and moving to leave the room. She paused as she passed Albus and asked him to keep an eye on things until she returned.

Heading down the way to Laura's shop, Shanoa knocked on the front door loudly and was soon greeted by the jeweller - who had been getting ready for bed. Surprisingly well covered by her dressing gown, her hair was in curlers and she had a thick layer of cold cream on her face, but she gave a smile and welcomed Shanoa inside when it was explained what the urgent matter was.

"That girl gets possessed easily, and Tom the cat apparently protects her. It must be tough for him; desperate to save Anna." Laura mused as she swept over to her counter.

Shanoa nodded to herself, responding that Anna wanted to help Tom with a charm. She leaned against one side of Laura's jewel crafting counter and watched as the other woman examined the stone with care.

"Wow. This is chrysoberyl. And a rare cat's eye color, at that."

"Cat's eye?" Intrigued, she raised her eyebrows and craned her neck to get a better look at the stone.

"There's a streak of light and it looks like a cat's eye, so they call it that." Laura replied, turning the stone and pointing to the streak with one of her cutting tools. "We can give this to those kids... That'd ward off evil! I'll make a charmed collar."

"All right. Please do that."

"Long ago, an order for a dog collar got cancelled. That'll come in handy now. Attach this, adjust it to a shorter length, and look! It's done." She admired her work for a moment before handing the cat collar to Shanoa. " It's for those kids. No need to pay me. Hurry along and give it to them."

Once Shanoa returned with the collar, there was a collective sigh of relief from everyone present.

"It's perfect for Tom!" Anna beamed as she looked over the collar and noted the stone dangling from it, and placed it around her dear cat's neck. "Thank you, Miss. Now, Tom won't have to hurt himself to protect me. -It'll be all right, as long as he and I are together!"

After Irina and her children thanked Shanoa and Albus again, the pair excused themselves and bid the family good night. Amicable silence remained between the duo as they returned to the infirmary and headed up to the ward rooms, both being far too tired to deal with anything else at the moment.

But when Shanoa touched the doorknob to her room, she suddenly let out a 'snerk' sound and laughed quietly to herself.

Albus, having since headed to his own room, glanced over and saw the smirk on his partner's face. "Do I even want to know?" He asked with a grin. Whatever it was, he was sure it had to be 'good', considering her reaction.

"Laura's... face..." Shanoa doubled over a bit, laughter taking hold and she could barely breathe. It was also quite astonishing to both herself and her combat partner that she was laughing so openly. Perhaps Agony had unlocked more than just concern and worry, which she had felt so immensely after the Mystery Manor debacle.

"What, was the sight spectacular?" Albus asked, eyebrow raising as he awaited Shanoa to catch her breath. That failing, he asked if there had been green face cream and the works, to which his partner could only nod, as she clutched at her sides and made the occasional noise of amusement while trying to regulate her breathing. "Good on you for holding it in until now."

Trying to calm herself, Shanoa let out the occasional snigger when she would glance over at Albus - whose smirk was not helping quell the laughter. She had since pressed her back against the hallway wall and let herself slide down into a sitting position. She pressed her hands to her face and covered her eyes, trying to think of something less humorous. Then again, why was it funny in the first place? People had their beauty secrets, after all. Who was she to judge?... But it was still a bit funny, the lengths that people would go to look good. Maybe she would understand some day.

"Get some rest, before you get a stitch in your side from all the laughter." Kneeling next to Shanoa, Albus nudged her on the shoulder with a closed hand, shaking his head and grinning at her. "You're out of practice, after all."

"Ha ha." Retorted Shanoa, uncovering her eyes and giving him a flat look.

"Seriously though, we have a horrid day ahead of us." Albus crossed his arms and contemplated on the task ahead of them. "Granted, it is good to laugh when we can. -And have a stiff drink before bed. You game?"

"It was a heck of a day," Contemplating for half a second, Shanoa then nodded, gratefully accepting a small glass of fruit brandy that was offered to her a few moments later; once Albus had headed down to the small kitchen for the glassware.

They sat in silence with their drinks, thinking about nothing in particular and saying nothing of the sort either. It was an amicable silence, however, rather than a tense one. Though their task ahead was indeed cause for apprehension and concern. But until the morrow, there was not much they could do but try to relax and recuperate.

After finishing his drink, Albus let out a slow breath and brushed his hair out of his eyes before directly addressing his partner again. "I'm going to turn in for the night." He collected their used glasses and took them to his room for the time being, planning to take them down to the kitchenette in the morning. "Rest well, and see you bright and early."

"See you in the morning." Shanoa nodded, giving a little wave from her position on the hallway floor outside her door. "Sleep well."


	11. Master Barlowe

The dreaded trek to Ecclesia, Albus and Shanoa's former home, managed to distort all sense of time to the pair as it felt as if their journey took forever to get them to the gates; while also feeling as if their arrival had come far too soon. Such was apprehension and anxiety at work - playing games with the mind and all perceptive senses.  
Standing outside the gates that led into Ecclesia's grounds, the former pupils hesitated a moment, meanwhile glancing around for any guards, patrolmen, or general signs of life.  
Nothing. Not a sound. The odd bird twittered in the forest some ways away, carried by the chilly early afternoon wind that whipped around them, and that was the extent of any audible noise.

"Was it always this quiet here?" Shanoa asked under her breath, with a side-glance toward her partner.

"No." Albus shook his head in a negative fashion, his eyes otherwise transfixed on the gates before them. "And that's what bothers me."

The former Chief Researcher silently reflected on how Ecclesia's outer grounds had once sounded so much more alive. There had been a continuous echoing resonance of their colleagues sparring in the training rings on the far left of the compound, and further up the way was the firing range, to which if it were not he himself making noise while partaking of flintlock practice, there was at least one other person having a go with firearms.  
Yet there was nothing, no clanging of swords, friendly taunts between sparring partners, and no distant sounds of gunpowder igniting. All things considered, it was eerie and furthered the horrid truth that he had hoped was not true; that in their absence their old kinsmen had all been sacrificed unnecessarily to find a new bearer for Dominus.

Albus brushed his hair back with a hand and let out a long breath. "No time for a tour just yet." Internally, he was rather concerned about fighting their former mentor, as even he had not ever witnessed the old man's full potential in combat. "Let's get the un-pleasantries out of the way, shall we?"

Shanoa placed a steadying hand on Albus's shoulder supportively, having sensed the apprehension of her partner. "Right behind you. Lead on."

Pushing through the front gate, the two peered through the doorway and looked around the abandoned grounds. As far as Albus could recall, everything looked pretty much the same. Granted, the front gardens were weed-ridden, but the red and yellow flowers beds were still jubilant displays of colour. Short hedges lined either side of the terracotta-coloured gravel path that led up to the main cathedral in the center of the grounds, and the odd tree dotted the expansive green plains that lay within the small fife's walls.  
The silence still unnerved Albus to the very core. Shanoa seemed not to be bothered by it, yet she kept alert as they approached the cathedral's grand doorway. Perhaps it was best that she did not remember how vastly different Ecclesia felt now, as compared to before everything had gone straight to Hell for them.

Once inside, Albus led the way up the grand staircase to the spacious main offices of Master Barlowe. Hopefully the old man would be there and not somewhere else on the grounds. It would be most awkward to have to fight him in, say, the alchemy labs or the dining hall.

Pausing outside the door to Barlowe's study, Albus let out a long and quiet breath, looking to Shanoa in silent query if she were ready. Nodding, she offered him a small smile and stepped aside from the doorway.

Pushing open the door, Albus stepped into the room to see Master Barlowe sitting at his desk, as usual, reading from the old tome that he usually carried with him.

When the eyes between former master and former pupil locked, Albus completely lost his voice, only able to stare blankly at the elder man.

"Stefan, you know that party trick of yours unsettles me." Barlowe muttered under his breath, perturbed that the younger man had not bothered to knock first.

But the look his face changed when Shanoa stepped into the room and stood beside her comrade, stiffening as Barlowe realized that he was looking at the real Albus. The master's eyebrows flew upwards on his face but he soon regained himself, pulled a neutral expression as he closed the book in his hands. Standing up from his seat at his desk, he took a step around it so as not to encumber his movement should he need to evade any advancements.

"So. My wayward students have returned."

Albus said nothing, his right hand clenching hard as he fought to keep his cool. Shanoa noticed the action, eyes darting down to his fist, then to his face, and finally back to Barlowe.

"Shanoa. You seem to be fairing better." Barlowe addressed her calmly with a surprisingly amicable tenure to his voice. "I was concerned."

Albus took half a step, putting an arm out before Shanoa defensively. But she touched a hand to his upper arm and gave a light push, eyes meeting with his again for a moment and she nodded at him, communicating in that single look her thanks and her wish that he allow her handle the moment herself. Lowering his guard, he nodded in return, stepped aside, and refrained from interfering.

"While I should feel flattered, I cannot do so. Dominus has taken far too much from me." Shanoa replied plainly towards Barlowe, her arms folding in over themselves. "As for concern, _we_ are far more so about _you_, and your convictions."

"I see..." Barlowe's tone remained calm, but a minute tic of irritation formed on his brow. "You disappoint me, Shanoa. My former Chief Researcher has turned you against the Order. That's a shame." Pausing slightly, he looked over to his prior apprentice. "What other lies have you told her, Albus?"

Albus clenched his teeth and made a sound as if stopping himself from yelling out something, and he itched to reach for his firearm. This time he would not have to worry about hitting Shanoa while aiming for the old man.  
Again, Shanoa was on the ball. Taking her turn to defend her combat partner, she put an arm out in gesture for Albus to remain still.

"You would know quite a bit about lies." She accused Barlowe, her own tone still afflicted with its usual neutrality. A metaphorical fire in her eyes spoke otherwise. "You used my memories and emotions as sacrifice to Dominus!"

Barlowe balked visibly, mouth twitching a bit before he sputtered out a retort. "R-Ridiculous! I've never heard such..."

"You also lied to Albus." A glare cast from Shanoa as she took a step towards her former mentor. "You sent him on a fool's errand, and tried to hold the ritual in his absence. And you neglected to mention that using Dominus would kill me. Would you care to explain that, _Master_?"

"Shanoa, if you ever trusted me, then hear me: mankind needs you. Needs your life! To give your life that Man might live his dreams... Do you not see how wonderful that is?"

"I can't trust you if I cannot remember you." Shanoa gave a sigh and shook her head. "And what I have heard has not bode well for you or this 'holy' order."

"Allow me to enlighten you, then." Barlowe crossed his arms, seemingly disappointed at her ignorance. "-The disappearance of the Belmont clan set in motion the creation of this Order. Through constant hidden struggle round the world, we proved Ecclesia's mettle to mankind. And so, in secret, certain men of power then placed a certain object in our care - the vessel for the soul of Dracula. If we destroy it, mankind's wish comes true. That is our purpose, as ordained by God. But against that vessel, our glyphs came to naught. ...So I sought out a Glyph of greater power-one strong enough to topple Dracula. And so, the answer came: Fight fire with fire... Converting it was difficult, of course. But finally, we made his power ours!"

Breaking his silence, Albus admonished his former master. "And you never thought once that it wouldn't be dangerous to get too close to such a thing?" His expression had turned rather surprised at the carelessness of his old master. "And you willingly put your kinsmen, and us - _when we were children_ \- in close contact with sinister forces?" Surprise soon gave way to disbelief. "...You've been corrupted!" Another long pause as he struggled to find his sorrow-etched words. Memories of their time growing up under the elder Ecclesian's care flashed before him, all thoughts reflecting Barlowe as a firm yet kind guardian who wanted his pupils to become strong in both body and mind.  
"You... you were like a father to us! Was that all a farce as well?"

Master Barlowe said nothing as he assumed a defensive stance, his expression looking rather plain for someone accused of such hefty grievances. "Now, Albus, you had the right idea. You found a way to take in Dominus... and we were able to put that research to good use. ... My flesh can host the glyph as well as Shanoa's! And since you're both so unwilling to comply..." He then turned his attention to Shanoa. "I'll rip the glyph straight off your bloody corpse!"

"You're mad..." Shanoa muttered aloud, studying Barlowe for a gap in his defenses as he charged a protective spell around himself.

"It'll be difficult to obtain from _two_ bearers, old man." Albus withdrew his flintlock and charged the singular glyph of Dominus imbued within it, trying not to flinch as it drained some of his stamina. It was a small price to pay for a powered-up spell shots, however he would use his piece of Dominus sparingly lest he strain himself too far.

"We're not ready to die, Barlowe." Shanoa summoned her _Hasta_ lance in her right hand and a_ Vol Luminatio_ bolt in her left. "You still owe us answers."

"Poor fools; if I could only make you see." Barlowe lowered his head as if he were actually saddened by their lack of enlightenment. Levitating off the ground with his spell tome floating at his side, he readied himself to charge at the two that stood in the way of his progress. "Now... yield Dominus to me!"

The battle was fierce, and kept the pair on their toes, for Barlowe was a master in his craft. He moved about in the air with ease and could cast multiple spells; flaming projectiles and bouncing globs of questionable darkness, which seemed to not tax him at all. He weaved and dodged out of range of most of his ex-pupil's attacks, and any glancing blows seemed to do little damage.  
In return he would surround himself with a lightning barrier and throw himself towards the two, sometimes managing to shock them, but most other times they dove out of the way. If they had retained anything that they had learned from their old mentor, it was how to be difficult targets to hit.

One spell that Albus had nearly forgotten about was one that had been used on him during a rare lapse of calm back in his teen years. The spell was one that Barlowe tended to use on more difficult students, and rightly so. Nothing quite like being frozen solid, especially after having flipped at your mentor and the only form of reaction during said outburst was a calm muttering of a spell and dropping of a spell tome on the floor - and then merely watching as a sheen of ice ripped from the book and across the floor, freezing you solid. Regrettably, Albus had not thought to dodge that time. It had been embarrassing, but also one heck of a lesson.  
And in his little reflection of the past, he neglected to mention it to Shanoa in time. She had, thankfully, hopped up into the air just before the book hit the floor, but the dissipation of the effect had not worn off yet and quickly she was overtaken by the ice crystals that snaked up her body and formed a solid block of ice around her.

Pleased with himself, Barlowe called out 'Inexperienced amateur!' and began to charge up a very strong lightning attack.  
Shanoa put her training from the Torpor crystal lesson to use and struggled to break free, but it was hard to tell if she would be free in time to evade the vertical bolt of charged lightning. The bolt of lightning never came, as her partner had taken to trying to disrupt Barlowe's spell casting.

The elder Ecclesian's barrier was infallible even to Albus's charged spell shots, which was rather aggravating to say in the least. Even more aggravating, if not downright painful, was when things got really serious for Albus, as Barlowe had not taken kindly to having his lighting spell disrupted.  
Another of Barlowe's power moves was several teleporting punches that he delivered from a random direction whenever he reappeared, and he moved much faster than the scholar could detect.

Albus's head spun as he was knocked about several times, and he vaguely registered Barlowe shouting at him.

_"How dare you!"_

The first of the forceful punches came from behind, pain ripping across the back of Albus's head after the impact. Shanoa cringed from inside her ice prison, momentarily forgetting about breaking free and watched her combat partner take a hell of a beating.

_"Even forgetting-"_

Though Albus had turned defensively and tried to block the next attack, he received the next blow to his open right side, causing him to be forcibly winded.

_"Who raised you-"_

The third attack came from the left - as he expected, but the pain in his side and lungs prevented him from dodging very well. Contact was made with his left shoulder and he staggered to his right, nearly falling over.

_"You-"_

The fourth attack was from the front and consisted of an uppercut to the chin. The old man was getting serious.

_"Stupid disciple!"_

The last blow was from behind and would have struck at the middle of Albus's back, but he turned to defend himself, arms coming up defensively. He blocked most of the powerful punch, but the sheer force from the blow sent him flying backwards - and landing flat against Shanoa's ice prison; a guttural cry of agony tearing from his throat.

The force of the impact was the last little bit Shanoa needed to break free. The ice fell away and she moved to catch and steady her rather tenderized partner.

As roomy as the old man's quarters were, it was no place to have such a fight. There was little room to evade his all-encompassing attacks - they were practically sitting ducks. But if they moved down to the main level, that might bode a bit better for them. Then they could more effectively split up to try to get around him on both sides.

Buying Albus some time to down a health potion, Shanoa launched herself towards Barlowe, varying her _Pneuma_ and _Grando_ tornado-like Union spells. They did the trick to keep him across the room from them, and he seemed to take a moment to reassess how to continue attacking both of them at once.

Sated for the moment, Albus stood straight while wiping at his mouth with one wrist, then extended a hand to Shanoa and beckoned her to follow, to which she grabbed his hand and ran with him towards the edge of the chambers that overlooked the main level of the cathedral below. She trusted his abilities, but could not help the sense of disembodiment she felt as they both teleported past the glass and masonry that barred the way, and she resisted tucking herself up into a defensive position as they both fell through the air, completely unhindered, for two seconds before warping again and hitting ground level somewhat roughly.

Master Barlowe was beyond irritated at that point and simply crashed through the large window unceremoniously, his barrier spell taking the brunt of the impact and shielding him from the raining shards of splintered glass.

Dashing through the pews, Shanoa circled to the right through the west transept of the cathedral and up to the hallowed sanctuary stand, while Albus backed up the nave's main pathway, firing off as many shots as he could to prevent Barlowe from advancing on them any further. He whittled down the old man's stamina and concentration somewhat, but that damned barrier was still intact by the time he had backed his way up to the crossing area that lay before the sanctuary and altar.

Oh, what blasphemy they were committing today.

Shanoa provided her own long-range support through her_ Vol Arcus_ and_ Vol Culter_ spell projectiles thrown in for good measure. But she quickly abandoned her covering of her partner to actively defend him when Barlowe rushed forward to attack after having enough of the double barrage of projectile attacks.  
Dashing forward, Shanoa summoned _Union Secare_ and stood her ground as the huge blade connected with the front of Barlowe's barrier. His defensive lightning spell was also active, conducting down the length of her sword, each quick pulse of the power flashed through her body painfully. Gritting her teeth, she pressed her whole being into impeding his advancement, but could feel her heels grinding back against the polished floor. Damn it, had she been on the carpeted altar she might have been able to keep her footing - though she did not have long to nag herself about not thinking ahead, for her adversary looked less than pleased and was struggling to keep pressing forward while keeping his barrier active. There were cracks forming in the spell's casing, giving cause for her to smirk rather darkly at her former master.

Albus moved to assist, but was shrugged off when he put his hands on her shoulders to help steady her.

"I've... got this!" Shanoa practically roared, mentally equipping one of her strength-boosting back glyphs and raising her sword away from Barlowe's shield, only to swiftly bring it back down against the same spot, shattering the barrier moments later through sheer force and willpower.

Barlowe landed on his feet, utterly phased by his defensive spell being broken by whom he had considered a mere echo of his former student. His pause was enough to cost him the battle; for even though Shanoa was breathing heavily she was not ready to back down yet. She lunged at him with a few slashes of her _Luminatio_ and _Falcis_ union, the connecting spell slices dealing terrible damage to a man that otherwise should have been heavily resistant to light element attacks. But the way he grimaced at how the light burned him was further testament to how he had since fallen from grace.  
The force from her attacks blasted him back down the nave of the church towards the entryway, and he crumpled to his knees, coughing and hacking both from being out of breath and having taken incredulous damage.

Barlowe held up a hand for her to stop, keeping his gaze set downward. His silver hair a mess on his head, and the folds of his dark green robe draping around him on to the floor. "Dammit! I was so close! I could... taste the power..."

Shanoa stopped her advance, keeping far enough away in case he tried anything funny, but also close enough to threateningly bear her _Hasta_ lance by his head. "I don't understand... The user of Dominus is destined to die! -Why would you want that kind of power?

"Because without Dominus, I'll never destroy that infernal seal." Barlowe coughed again, and slowly moved to sit on the floor with one hand pressed against his forehead. He looked absolutely exhausted. But there was still fire in his words when he was admonished by his former pupils for speaking of the vessel upstairs. "-Ecclesia's mission is to realize the singular wish of all mankind: the resurrection of our lord, Count Dracula!"

"Mankind wishes for no such thing." Albus muttered darkly, stepping forward to retrieve Barlowe's discarded spell tome, and backed off a step with an _Acerbatus_-primed Agartha aimed at their defeated adversary. He knew full well the old man was far from disarmed without the tome, but it made him feel a little more secure about their victory.

"Dracula's power comes from the darkness in people's hearts-our hearts." The master's eyes cleared for a moment as he gestured at his own heart, seeming less hostile towards the two youths. "Ask yourself then, why does he continue to return, regardless of defeat?" And the fleeting moment of sanity vanished. "Because our hearts yearn for Dracula's presence!"

Shanoa cringed as Barlowe let out a peal of crazed laughter. "...Just another victim of Dominus... It's driven you mad."

As the trio continued with their non-reconciliation, black smoke billowed from Barlowe's offices and started to waft down into the cathedral. Barlowe raised his head slightly and looked at Shanoa directly. He continued to admonish his former students for being blind to the 'truth' of the matter, calling them fools, until a dark tendril formed from the black smoke and deliberately descended downward to encircle him.

"What's this? This power... My strength is returning! ...Truly providence, that Dracula would honor me with his guidance!"

The tendril pulled Barlowe back up into his offices, his mad and delighted laughter echoing all around the empty cathedral. Shanoa glanced at Albus, who nodded and offered her a hand before he warped them back into the master's quarters, only to find Barlowe clinging to the vessel.

Shanoa inhaled sharply as she felt a malevolent force surround the three of them. "No... I feel a new power."

"...I will give my life to undo the seal, Master." Barlowe continued to cling to the long-guarded vessel, as beams of light appeared from him.

Without thinking, Albus dashed forward and tried to grab on to Barlowe's shoulders in an attempt to wrench him free.

There was a fleeting look of appreciation from the elder man before his eyes clouded back over and he again lost himself to the corruption in his heart.

"Return to us, Lord Dracula!" The leader of Ecclesia cried, and the vessel exploded, releasing a puff of black and purple smoke flying away from the container and dissipating from sight.

Despite being knocked for a loop, Albus was otherwise relatively intact after being blasted backwards from the vessel upon its detonation. But Barlowe's form was nowhere to be seen.

The room began to rumble, and though the malevolent force that Shanoa had felt in the room had since disappeared, she turned towards another window with a view of the outside to witness tall spires of a dark castle appear in the distance. Within her heart, she knew it was Dracula's Castle on the rise.

"Forgive us, Barlowe... " She said quietly, while looking at the remnants of the vessel. "We couldn't _save_ you."

Regaining consciousness a few moments later, Albus groaned as he sat up and clutched his aching head. When he thought he could not possibly feel any worse than he did at that moment, insult was added to jury when he received a punch on the shoulder from his concerned combat partner. Looking up with a frown, he attempted to say something, but cooled his heels and let Shanoa lecture him on having done something so dangerous. All he could do was nod at her, and afterwards admit that he had moved without thinking. Despite everything that had happened with their old mentor, he did not want to think it had all been a lie - that somewhere in there, the kind old man had existed - and always had. But when exactly that he had been corrupted, was hard to say. Both implications hurt so very much.

Remaining seated on the floor, Albus brought his knees up and placed his forearms atop them, giving a heavy sigh as he rested his head on his arms. Pain and exhaustion aside, all he could focus on was how had now lost _two_ of the most important people in his life. He thought he had been prepared to fight their guardian to the end... and it turned out he was rather wrong about the notion. The look that had passed from Barlowe, that quick flash of his old self - appreciative but so very tired, kept repeating itself in Albus's mind and he just could not will it away. Even if he had wrenched the old man from the vessel, would that have been enough to save him? The young researcher continued to mentally beat himself up, wondering if he should have tried harder to save Barlowe rather than fight him.

Shanoa uncrossed her arms and crouched before her partner. "We don't have much time to dally - Dracula's castle has appeared."

Speechless, Albus looked up at her for a moment, if only due to having nothing to say on the matter. Giving a sigh, he put his head back down on his arms. "...I still have to get Agony to work with me. Help me up and I'll lead the way to the Alchemy Labs. -I don't know about you, but I am about five minutes away from collapsing." He admitted quietly, as if there was something wrong with expressing such a sentiment after a tedious battle. "We'll go in the morning after a night of rest. The castle's not going anywhere."

"I don't like the idea of putting it off."

"I know, but if we aren't well prepared to complete our mission, then what is the point? If we die in vain due to being ill-prepared, then what service are we doing humanity? Unfortunately, I feel this needs to be done before we can set out to Dracula's castle."

"Lead on, then, Chief Researcher." Shanoa mumbled, steadying Albus on his feet.


	12. Runes and Reflections

Hours later, the experiment in the labs proved successful.

Thanks to the additional notes that Barlowe and the since-deceased Ecclesian researchers had made from Albus's previous groundwork that he had left behind, he could make further headway into how to go about absorbing and using glyphs on his own. The hard part was not being consumed or harmed by the glyphs and their powers, which was why he needed a channeling rune.  
There had been a few bits of information that he had gleaned from the Master's office - information that he had not been privy to, but most of it simply pointed to that someone with inherent magical aptitude was the best candidate to channel glyph magic throughout their bodies. The groundwork research coupled with Albus's results from the transfusion he made from the blood samples from the villagers and Shanoa, proved useful in the end, as the scholar was finally able to imbue himself with a channeling rune on his body to harbor Dominus Agony.

Had he been alone, he would have had to graft the sizable conduit to his chest, but with a second pair of hands, carefully instructed, he was able to have the form conjured and transferred to his back. The shape of the rune was similar to Shanoa's, but instead of the glyph-encompassing design looking like feathered wings, they looked more like bat wings. It was not his first choice, but with how often he would be able to get a good look at his own back, it would not matter much in the long run. That and keeping runes out in the open was purely a cosmetic matter - metaphorically, he would not have to deal with people questioning why all his would-be future outfits were nearly backless.  
But never in a million years would he go to the lengths that Shanoa did to show off her channeling runes. It was personal preference, and for reasons only known to him, Albus was quite modest. Even to the point that he insisted on keeping his undershirt on while imbuing the rune on his back - which complicated the procedure much more than necessary, but he had insisted it was the principle of the matter.

With Albus's channeling rune finally in place, Shanoa managed to release Dominus Agony from her possession, and she exchanged it for the piece that he had imbued into Agartha.

Natural apprehension undermined Albus's quiet glee at finally being able to bear a glyph with his physical form, as they were skipping the basics and jumping right into hard mode. Taking in a sharp breath, Albus glanced at his partner questioningly, and after receiving a similar look and a nod, he absorbed the glyph through his new rune. His method, or pose, while absorbing it was not as eloquent as Shanoa's, but it got the job done. With great relief, he immediately noticed that there was little fuss from the glyph as its power safely contained itself within him, and all residual effects remained barred by the rune's abilities. There were no whispers or darkness overtaking his mind, and the only feelings he felt were mixed, as part of his life-long mission was complete.

The whole process left Albus drained and exhausted, and after throwing his shirt and vest back on, he directed Shanoa towards the dormitories, as he wished to rest for a while before further preparing for their final mission.

* * *

After staggering up three flights of stairs, Albus was thankful to see that his old quarters had been relatively left alone in his absence. There was evidence of someone having rifled through his desk, but that was all he could tell at the moment. He did not much care for anything else once his eyes locked on to his old four-post bed.

He face-planted into his pillow, exclaiming how he missed the entirety of the furniture so much. "Ah, my dear sweet, comfortable, reliable bed. -I am quite tempted to take it with me back to Wygol when we return. I'll strap it to my back if I have to!"

Shanoa shook her head and smiled faintly as she sat on the far edge of the bed. At least he was not so far gone as to not be able to make light of a situation.

Rolling over on to his back, Albus looked around at his room and considered his surroundings for a moment. "When we finish with our mission, and if we're still alive, we will repurpose Ecclesia. If only so I won't be separated from my heavenly bed."

"It is a nice-looking piece." She admitted, running a hand over one of the carved mahogany posts. "I assume mine isn't as nice?"

"Not nearly. You never really liked frivolous things."

"Sounds about right," Shanoa nodded faintly and her voice trailed off as her eye was drawn to the seating area by the picture windows. The lowered area boasted a comfy chaise lounge, poised before a convex wall of picture windows that faced westward - perfect for watching the sunset. Since the room was several floors up, the scenery was marvelous - spans of forest, the small nearby river, and the occasional spec in the distance that indicated a cottage or small village. And the spires of Dracula's castle, but that too was somewhat majestic in its own dark way.

Everything in Albus's quarters had a sense of grand yet masculine elegance to it, none of it seemed out of place for the type of person he was. Though as she drew closer to the windows, she found herself whispering aloud, 'I know this' right before a memory overtook her. But unlike her Dominus-granted memories, this one came to her in first person...

* * *

Whenever Shanoa visited Albus's room she normally headed directly for the couch in the seating area. Other times she would stand at the window, pressed against glass to better gaze out at the landscape. Yet on that day she had opted to sit, seeming a bit 'off' in mood, seating herself on the far left side of the fine couch and leaning against the armrest to prop her head up with a closed hand. With a sigh she stared at the sun setting past the horizon.

Perplexed by her uncharacteristic melancholy, Albus joined her, deciding it would be amusing to flop down in a lazy, space-hogging manner. With the back of his head resting on her lap, the rest of him took up the remaining room that the chaise had to offer. Being a tall gent, he looked a bit silly with his legs dangling over the opposite arm rest.

Shanoa's train of thought was broken as her personal space was invaded. Not unwanted in the slightest, it was more surprising than anything. Of course, she couldn't help but smirk in response to the goofy grin he gave her. Damn it all.

"What's going on in that head of yours?" He asked quietly, expression becoming a bit more serious.

She sighed and glanced down at him, reflecting a moment on the matter that weighed on her mind. Also under consideration was something that he had told her before - that if she ever wanted something, then she should ask for it. The worst that could happen was that she would be denied and that fact in itself ought not be considered the end of the world. Though, he had never specified a context. Or a meaning behind it either, aside from that she should not fear anything. He had been her number one cheerleader in the self-esteem department since they were little, but his advice was often terrible or cryptic.

"I... have this question that needs answering, but... I don't know if it's appropriate to ask it in the first place." Her pauses felt so out of character to her, as normally she found it easy to talk to her long time companion. "So... that is my dilemma."

Albus thought on her words a moment, one of his hands coming up to his chin to accentuate his 'thinking' expression. His head tilted a little, becoming a bit more parallel with her right knee. "Run it by me first?" He offered, with a twinkle of mischief in his eye. " I won't judge you too harshly."

Expression flattening, she leaned forward and lightly pressed her lips against his. Her hair fell around them, artistically curtaining around them in the moment. Just as suddenly she sat up straight again, looking away as she had no idea what to expect from him as a reaction.

"There's my question."

The return expression from Albus was somewhere between forced-calm and slightly embarrassed. "That answers one of mine, then."

Shanoa blinked visibly as she looked back down at him, admittedly quite curious by his statement. But there was no need for words as he looked up at her, giving her a mixed look of joy and relief.

* * *

As the memory faded, the present-day Shanoa could feel herself try to tear up. The implications of the memory, and the confirmation of her suspicions, hit her rather hard. If they actually had once been more than just combat partners, then... all that Albus had been through, for her sake, just doubled in how much plausible inner turmoil he had kept from her.

Having since gotten back on his feet, Albus noticed that Shanoa seemed lost in thought at the windows. To him it was an echo of her old self, which tugged at his heart. He called her by name quietly, only causing a slight reaction from her. She voiced a quiet 'hmm?', barely averting her gaze from the sunset on the horizon.

Lost in thought, Shanoa felt conflicted, unsure how to go about what the memory implied, and how it had just complicated their entire situation. Or perhaps it was just a fleeting memory, and nothing really had become of it afterward -or things had gone south and they had never quite been the same?  
At any rate, if any of that that were true, then why did she feel as if her heart were being squeezed? The sensation was, of course, alien to her - for she had only ever felt calm around her combat partner. No fear, no concern, nothing that she felt was out of the ordinary. But now she felt on edge, and for whatever reason her cheeks were starting to feel a bit warm. Peering at her faded reflection in the glass before her, she noticed a light pink on her face, a lot like how Miss Monica's face tended to flush whenever the girl got flustered. Shanoa then gave her own reflection a flat look. ... Flustered? Why on earth would she suddenly be flustered by someone she trusted completely?

"Shanoa?" Albus's voice was right behind her, just as quiet as before - but she had not expected his sudden proximity, nor his hand gently pressing on her shoulder.

Before she could stop herself, she flinched away rather uncharacteristically, prompting him to lean away a bit, his hands coming up rather defensively. He did not ask what was wrong, he did not need to, as his expression wordlessly communicated his concern. And just as wordlessly, she returned to him an expression that spoke of an apology, her shoulders sagging a bit when she realized how she had reacted.

"...I'm fading fast." He murmured, rubbing at his heavy eyelids. "Wake me up in an hour?"

"Sure."

"Your room is at the far end of the hall in the women's half of the building." He said over a shoulder while returning to flop down on his bed. "It should still have your nameplate on it."

"Thank you. I'll be back shortly to check on you."

"Great..." And with that he was out cold.

Before she left his room, Shanoa watched his sleeping form for a moment, tempted to brush the fringe of his hair out of his eyes, but stopped herself and quietly exited the room. Heading down the hall, she searched for her old room and found it, leaving the door open after she stepped inside.

Unsure what to do, she stood in the middle of her old room, which was humble and small compared to Albus's expansive quarters, and just looked at the neat and plain little bed, the regular desk, and the minimal items that rested here and there on said desk and on the end table by the bed. She did look through her old dresser, finding garments that were a bit frilly for her current tastes, and other clothes that she debated stuffing into her inventory.  
A chest at the foot of her bed occupied the better part of her time as she rifled through it to find old swords and weapons that she presumably had trained with and had perhaps taken as trophies from past missions.

A knock sounded at her open door and she quickly turned to look behind her, giving a breath of relief to see that it was Albus. Oh, she must have taken longer than she had intended. Before she could apologize, he just gave her a smile and asked if any of her old things jogged her memories at all.

"These... things... mean nothing to me now. So there's no point." She paused, hand to her chin and her jaw set in a pose of thought. "Unless I had a journal?"

"As far as I know, you didn't." Albus plunked himself down on her bed and leaned against the wall. "Did you try the desk?"

Moving from the chest to the desk, Shanoa rooted around in the drawers until she came across a small journal that was cryptic and written in shorthand. She flipped through it quickly, looking at some of the later entries. Noting one from that said 'Discussion with Albus went much better than I thought' and another one that read 'concerned about the rune grafting tomorrow. Should converse with Albus on the matter.'

"Hey. This one entry," She turned and showed him the entry regarding conversing with him and pointed to the date. "Did we... converse?"

Her partner thought about his answer for a bit before speaking up. "Yes. You tried not to show it, but you were quite worried that you would be another victim of progress, as it were. Barlowe had a lot of casualties and crippling injuries trying to place the containment runes on others. But you... were special."

With a pause, Shanoa looked at him suspiciously as he iterated that she had been special. Was that embitterment he was showing? Even now? Sighing, she put a hand to her forehead. "Good to hear that I tried to be stoic, and I'm glad you were there to help. Thank you."

Albus failed to fight back a smile that wormed its way on to his face as he made his way to the door. "...Oh, you're quite welcome."

Glancing over, Shanoa wondered if now would be a good time to talk to him about the most recent memory flash, but her resolve failed her by the time she had crossed the room to stand in his personal space.  
"Albus, I..." She looked up at him expectantly, although she was the one with the query. Her following awkward silence was met with a patient calm from her partner, even when she reached to fiddle with the braided strap on the bandolier across his chest. "You'll... always be my number one supporter, right?"

He quirked a brow, and a smile tugged at one corner of his mouth as he wondered where her question had come from so suddenly. "Of course." He replied, giving a slight nod in emphasis. "At least until the day you decide to take a suitor. Then I might concede the title." They shared a quiet laugh and he gave Shanoa a pat on one shoulder. "Though I'd still remain in your fan club - maybe as president. What do you think?"

"Suits me just fine." She nodded, eyes downcast but a smile was visible. "If I can remain president of the chief researcher fan club."

"Well, that isn't very reassuring." Albus mock-grumbled, hands returning to his sides and forming into fists that rested against his waist in a mock 'none too pleased' stance. "That just sounds like it doesn't matter who is in that position."

"Of course." The warrior mirrored one of his smirks and folded her arms lightly. "It's boring if it's always the same person. Next week, it could be Carlos, or Enrique." She had teasingly put a little emphasis on the second name as if to imply a more foreign name was somewhat attractive to her.

Another laugh and a muttered 'cute' before Albus excused himself so that Shanoa could continue to sort through her old room in peace, leaving her with the reassurance that he would be down the hall and in his old quarters if she needed anything. If not, he would see her in the morning.

Shanoa jokingly argued that she was not sleeping in her creepy old room, and that his bed was large enough for two, so she would be taking up residence with him for the night. With a laugh as he left her room, Albus retorted that she was welcome to sleep on his couch but there was no way he was sharing his lovely bed with a shameless space hog like her.

Alone again in her room, Shanoa slumped down on her bed and lay across it diagonally. So, _had_ they been more than just childhood friends and combat partners? It was not that implication that bothered her, it was that her impossibly hard-headed, stubborn, prideful and very-likely-hurting-immensely-internally plausible 'romantic interest' had kept the information to himself for a couple months since the ritual incident. So many pieces fell into place, his over-protectiveness, his hesitation on certain matters, lack of surprise in others, and... his unshakable commitment to her.  
Though all of that; was just how he was. So, perhaps, nothing had transpired and they had remained as close friends after all. Each scenario was all well and fine to Shanoa - she considered Albus family regardless of platonic or romantic implications and facts. But it was her current not-knowing which it was that made things so much more complicated.

Grabbing her old pillow, she pressed it over her face and let out a loud sigh into it, and whispered 'what do I do now?' into it, afterward muttering that she could fight monsters three times her size without hesitation and fear, but asking her last remaining ally about how he _actually_ felt about her seemed like it might end the world.


	13. Respite

**Author's Note:** _If for whatever reason you're still reading this story and don't like the idea of main characters together, then you might want to just skip this chapter.  
(And/or go back and actually read the Author's Preface. It should be situated before the prologue.)  
Most of the sappy stuff is contained herein and shouldn't flow too much into the rest of the chapters. You know, just in case you _don't_ agree with the pair._  
_Also, I feel that I should note that the concept for this chapter was considered well before I had done a lot of the platonic relationship building between the two, and after writing so much of that; this honestly feels a bit like a forced pairing at this point. (Though when it comes down to it, any kind of relationship between these two is aces in my books.)  
_

* * *

The oil lamp that lit the workspace of Albus's quarters was dim, but gave off enough light for continued reading. Evening had since fallen, not that Albus had really noticed as he sat at his desk reading up on more of his old research notes that he had gleaned from the Master's residence earlier in the day. As he read, he could hear the quiet and calm tenure of the elder man's voice in his head saying the words - making it much harder for Albus to not give in to the sadness he felt at having since lost both of the most important people in his life.

There was a knock at the door, likely Shanoa. If it were anyone else, it certainly would be a problem. Albus bade her entry, not looking up from the work he was still very much engrossed in. He heard her close the door behind her... but she did not advance. Glancing over his shoulder, he froze at the sight of her: She was pressed against the door, hand still on the knob, her expression shy and apprehensive and unsure - all at the same time.

_'Oh, God.'_ Albus thought to himself. _'Why?'_

They had been there before; that exact moment. It had been the night before she was to have the channeling runes transcribed on to her body.

She had been worried and scared, and thoroughly apologetic for being a successful candidate without 'trying', when Albus had laboured so hard to try to bear Dominus in place of her. And though she had sought him out to confide in him her concerns, she had thought long on not wanting to die without any regrets. Or as she had put it, 'without having known him entirely'. Such poetry.

Their quiet romance of a few years had previously been secret and discreet on all levels, though it would have been more accurate to have put it along the lines of 'puppy love' as many factors including order regulations had come into play to keep their relationship non-complicated on the physical level. At least until that point in time, when their growing mutual attraction reached its peak and... they had their own glyph union of sorts, so to speak.  
Of course, it had been awkward and clumsy at the start but made way for passionate and euphoric, all having been worth it when Albus had awoken the following dawn with Shanoa nestled against him. Her eyes had fluttered open when he had gently brushed back some of her hair from her eyes and the way she smiled at him shyly, well... a gentleman ought not dwell on such things for too long.  
They had discussed the future - perhaps even retiring from the Order, if and when their duty was finished - with Barlowe's blessing of course. But that was not to be, as a few weeks after Shanoa had successfully wielded glyphs with her attuned body, she had been secretly chosen to bear Dominus while Albus had been out searching for a suitable proposal gift to present to her - under the guise of being on an important mission. When he had returned home... everything went straight to hell. His rage had not been because he had been passed over on becoming the bearer of Dominus, it was that his closet friend, lover, and future fiancée was being put in danger. And he would not stand for it.

But that was _then_. This was _now_. And Albus could not breathe nor speak in that moment. 'His' Shanoa was gone, and this 'new' Shanoa before him was a haunting echo of the loved one he had lost - and yet he had always felt torn on keeping things professional with her after the ritual incident.

From the door, Shanoa softly stated that their final mission was at hand the next day. She did not look at him, nor did she raise her gaze from its fixed state on the floor.

Still silent, Albus swallowed at a lump that had risen in his throat and tried to remain nonchalant. Tried. He finally asked 'are you all right?' after what felt like an eternity.

"...I don't know." She admitted after another painfully long pause. "I keep having these thoughts that are... confusing." She then took a step from the door, but moved towards the bed and sank down to sit on the edge, her hands gripping at her forehead and hair in frustration. She looked like she was about to break. "I don't... I can't... there's no room for these feelings."

Albus's expression fell as he watched her. He had tried so hard to do everything in his power to remain silent about the intimate part of their past and was still against reminding her. "It's okay to be afraid." He offered weakly, frowning at himself. "I'm also a bit concerned about this mission. But there's nothing we cannot do. You and I are a great team. We can do this."

"Ah... yes... but that's not..." She murmured, then looked at him with a surprisingly piercing gaze. "...what I mean."

Ah great, this was going exactly where he had suspected. "What's on your mind?"

She sighed, resting her arms on her knees. "I'm... I'm conflicted. I know this task is of dire importance and that my sole purpose for living is combat, but..." She stood and took three meaningful steps towards him while asking 'What about us?'. She paused, standing above him, her expression blank. "Is there, or was there ever... an 'us'?"

Heart in agony, Albus suppressed a groan of discomfort. Unfortunately he betrayed himself by wincing at her query. Taking in a breath, he looked at her and forced the answer 'What once was, is in the past'. It had taken great effort to say it with as much nobility as he had.

The look of concern Shanoa gave him nearly shattered the stoic expression he had managed to summon. Arms crossing defensively, she spoke quietly. "Answer me plainly. I saw a memory of... us. When she... -I... confessed my feelings."

Struck by disbelief, Albus remained still and just stared at her. When had Shanoa seen that memory? And how long had she been holding on to that information? With a sigh he resigned himself to telling her what she wanted to know, as he couldn't bring himself to lie to her or dodge the truth, when she was being so direct.

"The old Shanoa and I... well..." Again he sighed, leaning forward to rest his face in his hands for a moment, then raked his fingers through his hair, cringing at the pain of talking about his heartache, and his embarrassment of trying to explain that they had been lovers in secret. "...I was ...days away from asking her... you... to be my wife."

He trailed his gaze back up to her face after he finished, finding that he could not bear to look at her any longer once she locked eyes with him, and with a sigh he shifted his gaze to floor.

Shanoa in the meanwhile was torn between feeling shy at the reveal of their true prior relationship, and feeling sorry for her broken partner. The few moments of sombre silence between them that followed had a funny way of seeming like an eternity.

"Albus..." She finally managed to say, breathing his name in disbelief. "You hard-headed fool. Why didn't you say anything...?"

"I... I couldn't." He whispered, eyes firmly fixated on the floor. Though he paused and shook his head a bit as if irritated at his own words and logic. He tried to explain that the mind was a fickle thing and he had not been so sure that he could ever get 'his' Shanoa back. Pausing, he took in a steadying breath and continued on with the fact that he had been quite torn between letting her new life take its own course, or trying to force her back into the past for his own selfish desires. As he spoke, his eyes had become glassy and he fought to keep his voice from breaking as the sorrow welled within him. "...I didn't want to fail you again."

A frown surfaced on Shanoa's mouth and she lightly shoved him back into his chair, sat herself across his lap and curled up against him. "I am so sorry. I should have considered that I'm not the only one who lost everything."

Numbly, Albus just put his arms around her if only to complete the hug, his mind otherwise lost to a depressed oblivion with having admitted something that he considered a weakness aloud. Some minutes later he managed to regain some sense of conscious clarity, finding his way through the mental fog when a soft touch ran across his collarbone. Glancing down, he found that Shanoa was preoccupied with tracing a finger along the patterns on his vest. The action was admittedly quite cute and it was a relief that this 'other' person she had become had still managed to center him.

After more silence and the occasional patting gesture of comfort, Shanoa leaned away from him, eyeing him thoughtfully. Although her memories were mostly gone, she admitted that had felt drawn to him even before the present discussion, and she felt his sacrifice and dedication to her well-being at the cost of his own sanity and self was sweet... if not a little insane. If he persisted to keep such things to himself, he was going to drive himself crazy. ... Moreso.  
Regardless of her thoughts on the matter, she moved from her sideways orientation and straddled his lap, leaning forward to place her hands on either side of his face. She studied his expression a moment, which was dejected and worn - but also somewhat questioning, before she gave him a supportive smile and leaned forward to give him a short, soft kiss. As she pulled back, she frowned at the heavy sigh he gave, and the way he had squelched his eyes shut in an obvious attempt at keeping his composure. Once they opened again, he gave another sigh and put his arms around her waist supportively. Less out of consent to her actions and more to stop her from shifting about.

Curling an arm around his neck, Shanoa leaned forward to rest her forehead against his left shoulder. "Thank you for staying by me." She whispered, unsure what to say and unsure if her thanks had any merit. "A lesser person would have broken."

"I thought I had." Albus admitted quietly, running a hand across the top of her head. He had always liked her long, dark hair. "But... you kept me together. Even now we're still two of a kind, I suppose."

"Of course we are." She nodded, lightly brushing her fingers across the back of his neck. "So you don't have to solve every problem on your own."

Again Albus winced visibly at the echo of his 'lost' Shanoa. And again he felt his fragile psyche begin to crack. Silently he nodded at her, and she had taken note of the fleeting pained look on his face while sitting up straight again, arms draped over both his shoulders.

With a small smile, Shanoa joked at his initial vague use of the term 'family' when she had awoken in Wygol, then moved on to tell him that it was not wrong to want his loved one back. When he tried to protest she shook her head at him and admitted that even though he had been selfless enough to let her become her own person and did not place his expectations on her, she reiterated that she had been drawn to him regardless and had started to fall for him.

"Well of course,"Albus retorted quietly, automatically taking a scientific approach to the subject. "We're both in the prime of our youth and have been in each other's company straight-time. So it's only natural that you might be attracted. But, if you spent more time with say, I don't know, Marcel or Abram, then you might..."

"-Albus. Don't you dare finish that sentence." She muttered darkly, not appreciating the joking manner of her companion. Though her expression softened after a moment. "Even though you have a point... I think I'd prefer someone who can actually take care of himself."

"Well Eugen might-" The researcher just couldn't help himself, laughing as he received a hard smack to both his shoulders - the movement nearly toppling over the chair and them with it.

"I'm serious!" Shanoa's interruption sounded a bit like a laugh but she was not entirely amused. "Be mine, again."

Having grown quiet, Albus barely managed to whisper 'I've nothing left to offer as a suitor,' in response, as his head still swam from the emotional ups and downs that their conversation had caused.

"No one's perfect." She murmured, clutching his face in her hands as she leaned further to rest her forehead against his. "Not even you. Besides, you've still got your looks. The rest I can ignore."

They both laughed quietly at the joke, her moreso than he of course, before he lowered his gaze and asked, "...Are you sure?"

Another pause, this one on purpose as Shanoa made it look like she was weighing her answer (the little tease). When she gave Albus a nod and brushed the tip of her nose against his, his resolve fully lapsed. His hands firmly grasped for the sides of her face as he leaned forward to kiss her desperately; a quiet, albeit needy, moan sounding from him as he embraced her.

A bit surprised by his suddenness, she lurched back a bit but did not break the embrace, afterward relaxing and smiling to herself as she returned the enthusiasm. Although she kept her hands in generally the same spot, his wandered down her back; the sensation of his touch sending thrilling sensations racing up her spine. She wanted to return the favour, but her partner did not exactly wear attire that left parts of himself exposed, like how her own garment did. -Not that she minded entangling her fingers into his hair, or running her hands down the front of his vest, but it did not feel like she was doing anything to effectively add to the escalating affections.

When there was a pause in their romantic moment, they remained silent, both flushed in the face and eyes locked with expressions serious and yet questioning. Shanoa noted how he gazed at her; for a look of relief, mixed with pure and absolute love radiated from him. She offered a sheepish and infectious smile, causing Albus to let out a short, relieved breath and return her smile.

And then a flicker of the old Shanoa revealed itself again when she bowed her head, bit her lip, and shot him a seductive look. Her hands wandered to the top buckle of his vest and fidgeted with the strap purposefully.

Albus frowned slightly, shaking his head once, his hands moving to stop hers. "I'm not keen on having an intimate moment here."

"Hmm? Waiting for the perfect time and place? Or are you proper and traditional?"

"Not exactly... -we've been here before."

"Oh...?" It was an amused question, even as she wrapped her head around the implication. "Couldn't keep your hands off me, hmm?" She chuckled quietly, arms tightening around him briefly.

"Perhaps." Also laughing quietly, he glanced away for a moment as he recalled the memory from earlier that brought mixed emotions. "But _you_ came to me. It was the night before you got your runes." Pausing, he looked at her with melancholy tainting expression. "We were... both scared. We didn't know if the process would be successful when so many others before you had perished. -Even I've nearly destroyed myself trying to imbue myself with channeling runes,"

"Sounds a bit like tonight, honestly. Tomorrow we're going to be push ourselves to our limits and beyond - and who knows if we'll survive." She paused as he nodded at her all-too-true and rather solemn words. "...That all aside, you have me at a bit of a disadvantage." Shanoa replied quietly, her own hands pressing atop his as she gave him a supportive smile. "You know what I like, but... I haven't the faintest what you like."

"What I would like is to _not_ complicate things any more for the time being."

"How is it complicated if we're courting, and consenting?" Shanoa frowned, clearly growing a little frustrated at being denied a base pleasure. "We're the only ones here, if that's what you're worried about." Her voice dropped low in tone and was tempered with disappointment as she tried another angle. "We've both suffered so much loss... what is one small, harmless gain for ourselves?" She waited a moment for him to respond, crossing her arms in triumph at the apparent lack of voice he had at that moment.  
"So. Are you fine with the chair?" Sliding off his lap, she took one of his hands in hers and gently tugged. "Or..." She glanced over at the bed and then back at him with a hint of nervousness.

After several seconds of consideration, Albus smiled softly as he willed himself out of his slouched position in the old chair and allowed himself to be led across the room.

So much for abstaining from romance that evening.

* * *

First light of dawn, the pair returned to Wygol village to stock up on any last-minute supplies they might need from Jacob's shop. The other villagers that they came across in the early hours of the morning were aware that something was different - that the two young adults were up against something dire - though they did not say so out loud. Yet there were plenty of smiles and well-wishes given to their resident fighters as they sent them off with hopes and prayers that they would meet again.

When the duo had left the village and were some way into the forest, Shanoa stopped and asked Albus to wait. He glanced back at her, then turned fully upon noticing how 'off' she appeared to be. She fidgeted and stepped closer, putting a hand out towards him and motioning that he give her his left hand. Confused, he did as she requested, then was surprised by her sliding the Emperor ring back on his hand, but it had been sized down for his ring finger - likely by Laura.

Glancing down to Shanoa's left hand as she pulled it back, Albus noted that she wore a similar ring on her own left ring finger: the Empress ring. "...Oh," The faintest flush rose in his cheeks as he barely managed to utter the word.

"That's a 'yes', by the way." Shanoa murmured, eyes downcast. "That is, if I am an acceptable substitute."

"You are _not_ a _substitute_." Albus sighed, pulling her close into a tight hug. "You are still _my_ Shanoa."

Pleased, she looked up and smiled at him as warmly as she could manage. "And you are my roguish devil - whom I intend to make an honest man out of yet."

A smirk followed as he ruffled the hair on top of her head, just to be annoying. "Quite the task, that. Defeating Count Dracula will be easier."

"He's on the list." Stepping back and smoothing her hair, Shanoa then crossed her arms in a stance that was jestingly haughty. "I am the blade to banish all insolence."

"Well, her excellency _the Empress_ better get it into gear or we're not going to have much of a world to save at this rate." After shaking his head lightly and laughing quietly, Albus started back down the road; offering an arm in escort to Shanoa once she caught up.


	14. Storming the Castle - The Swift Approach

Count Dracula's castle loomed in the distance, growing increasingly intimidating with every step Shanoa and Albus took. Naively, they each thought quietly to themselves at one point or another that the demon fortress did not look as large and imposing as they had thought it would - but such amateur thoughts were quelled when they were some ten minutes away in walking distance.

Despite having started their journey after dawn, with the morning sun steadying their resolve as warriors of the light, there was an ominous and foreboding cloak of shadow that covered the ancient castle and the immediate surrounding countryside. Wygol and Ecclesia had likely edged on the border of the magical dark miasma.

The section of forest around the castle was enveloped in thick fog, hindering their far-sight and giving cause for caution, but nothing delayed their advancement onward. Approaching the massive drawbridge that lay in accommodating wait for them, the warriors gave pause a moment to reflect before taking their first step towards the end. Be it the end of Count Dracula, or the end of themselves, remained to be seen.

On their way to the castle, Shanoa had mused on and mulled over everything she had said, everything she had bargained for, so that she would not be spared the price of using Dominus. In all honestly, she had been fully open to the idea of both she and Albus risking both of their souls in exchange for using the power, but this morning she felt so sure she would prefer if Dominus only took her soul and left him intact. The worst part of it was… that no matter how much faith in Albus she had, she felt she were the better of the two to make the sacrifice. The reasoning was namely due to her being 'incomplete' - what was losing her again, really? Her old self had been lost in the Dominus ritual, and there was likely no way to restore that part of herself. But if _she_ were to lose her partner, she was not all that sure she would be able to carry on half as well as he had previously insisted that she would. Though grim, it was nice that he had faith in her ability to adapt and persevere.

"Hear me, Dracula!" Shanoa suddenly called aloud, not caring who or what heard her, as she and her combat partner stood before the massive castle's drawbridge. "I am the morning sun, come to vanquish this horrible night!"

Without sparing her silently amused partner a glance, Shanoa trudged onward through the nightmarish portcullis beyond the drawbridge.

Once they passed the outer wall gates, the fog dispersed to show a courtyard landscape of barren trees and old statues with anguished expressions. Paying no heed to the outside, the duo wandered into the front of what looked to be the first in a series of large buildings that formed the foundation of the castle.

The foyer of the building was not anything too special, but the following halls were lavishly decorated with plush curtains, chandeliers, sculpture busts, and exquisite masonry - yet the faux pas that killed the atmosphere were the lower minions present within the halls. Slithery flying Peeping Eye demons circled around, Gargoyle statues came to life and flitted about, Fleamen jumped here and there in erratic patterns, Ghouls shambled about, and Black Pather lady cats demonstrated their prowess with their claws and rapid movements.

The aforementioned enemies were easily taken care of by the pair's efficient teamwork, but the numbers of enemies per room they were so far encountering made for grim calculations that suggested they would tire out well before they got to the Count's chambers. Though they were there to put an end to anything in their way, they would have to be smart and only engage enemies when necessary. Some tact, and resting whenever they could spare the chance, would be most beneficial if they wanted to keep their energy levels up when it came to fighting the master of the castle.

All dismal contemplations aside, Shanoa managed to find for herself a moment of humor. While traversing one staircase she practically got herself dragged away from a Blood Skeleton that she would not leave alone. Every time she defeated it and it crumpled into a pile, it would soon get back up and attempt to attack again before being bashed apart with her _Vol Macir _glyph. Again.

She was rather entertained by the tenacity of the skeleton and mused to Albus 'You'd think it would give up' before one of her arms were tugged and she was told to stop tormenting the 'poor thing'.

* * *

In a more secluded room, the pair of hunters defeated a Black Panther who was kind enough to drop a glyph.

Shanoa eyed it for a moment and then looked over her shoulder at her partner, feigning a grin like a cat that had caught a canary. "You can take it."

Blinking in disbelief, Albus then looked at her flatly. "No."

"I want to see you absorb a glyph, is all. This would be a good test of your mettle." She practically purred, eyebrows raising as she fibbed. Yet Albus continued to look at her with his unimpressed stare, arms since having crossed defensively. "-Besides, I already have a transformation glyph. Fair is fair."

Some minutes later, after a verbal exchange and some quiet bartering between the two of them, Albus stalked around with a visually _modified Arma Felix_ equipped and active, which had turned him into a light brown male Were-Jaguar wearing a grey loincloth. Silently he looked at his paws and raised his presently-furry eyebrows at how huge and muscular his physique had become. The tail would take some getting used to, for sure.

Shanoa was 'kind' enough to humor him by using her _Arma Chiroptera _glyph and accompanied him in Werebat form as they moved on to conduct one hallway's worth of testing out the werecat glyph. Though, something odd happened in the next hall, for the enemy Black Panthers did not attack the transformed Albus, and followed him about, nonchalantly disabling any Ghouls in the way of the would-be alpha. The transformed Shanoa, however, was still a threat, but they merely hissed at her and remained on their steadfast guard of their 'kin'.

When they left the corridor, the cats did not follow suit, and Albus turned back to normal once he felt it were safe enough to do so without alerting the creatures to his little trick.

"That wasn't so bad, I suppose." He huffed, scratching at his forehead and face as if there were still fur in places. The transformation had been quick and mostly painless, but the temporary thickening of all the hair follicles of his body had caused quite an all-over itch that he could not really scratch, for it was more psychological than physical at that point in time.

"Certainly had the ladies wooed." Shanoa chuckled, giving her werebat wings a little flap before she returned to her normal human self. "Quite the musculature in that form."

"Not quite my style." Albus admitted shaking his head and double-checking his loaded rounds in his firearm. "If you want the glyph, I would be happy to pass it along."

"Thanks, but I'll pass for now. I already have one kinkwear-clad alternate form in my arsenal. I don't think I need another."

Albus attempted to make a joke, but received a playful slap to one shoulder that halted his words and he opted to laugh instead.

Traversing through the halls that wound upwards, Shanoa and Albus battled onward until they found themselves in a colossal library. Shelves upon shelves of books were everywhere, as were the books. Books that were not neatly placed on the shelves littered the ground and covered many surfaces.

Some study alcoves and the back stacks were tidier than others, but that fact did little to appease Albus as he fought the rising irritation at the sight of such ill care towards what he considered a precious resource. The frown and furrowed brow he wore refused to leave his face as they wandered through the expansive archive.

Many of the same types of enemies from the entrance halls greeted them and subsequently were felled by their attacks. A notable newcomer to their list included an advanced sort of purple werebat known as Draculina, who swooped about with actual flight, unlike her hovering Werebat sisters. Her bat familiar circled protectively around its mistress, but was easily defeated and when the female bat demon herself fell, her death rattle was a cry out for Lord Dracula.

Giving a moment's pause, the two Ecclesians readied themselves, unsure if the master of the castle would actually answer the call of a lesser minion. A few tense minutes passed before they relaxed their guard slightly, figuring that they were not to fight the Count just yet. It was said that he rarely left his keep, and so only those who could survive the trek were worthy of engaging him in combat. Those who fell along the way would not worth his time. It was not a unique way of thinking, for it was much more like chess or a lot of other strategy games, namely those of a war-like setting. Keep the commander safe from the rabble, lest he waste his powers and have little left for the real threats.

Another new enemy soon gave them a spot of trouble: A metal Tin Man with revolving axe arms wheeled its way towards them and proved to be rather hardy in its makeup. Even once they had knocked the thing on its side, it continued to flail about and remained dangerous up until after it exploded when having been bashed and shocked to an 'out of order' state.

Winding upwards through more rooms, the pair soon found themselves in a rather tidy private study pitted against an odd-looking, clown-faced, roly-poly, blue demon that laughed in amusement while shrugging off all damage the two inflicted on him.

Turning, it tossed a few odd devices into the air and phased into the wall to the far right of the room, giving off a magical glyph residue as it did so. The devices floated in the air, having four outlets that looked as though energy or magic might come forth from them.

Checking the trajectory of all three, Albus stepped into a 'safe' spot and crouched, motioning Shanoa to follow suit. As soon as she did so, the three devices spewed forth a grid-like pattern of fire beams from their openings, before disappearing into nothingness.

The demon emerged from the wall, tittering with glee and taunting 'You're still here?' before receiving two rounds of _Acerbatus _in the face.

When the creature pulled the same stunt again, Shanoa was ready, keeping an eye on the placement of the next set of devices, and absorbed the _Paries _glyph that the demon had used to interface with the wall. A beam of fire from the 'grid' struck the wall and the demon within it, causing it to howl in agony as it was defeated in its out of sight hiding place.

The glyph would allow the user to pass through certain portal walls, and Shanoa offered it up for copying to the glyph catalogue so that Albus might copy it. But he refused, saying that he could follow suit after with his warp ability as long as her aura was in range of detection.

Using _Paries _on the same wall that their fallen adversary had, Shanoa held her breath and passed through effortlessly, finding a statue on the other side that granted her another upgrade to her rapier glyph. _Melio Confodere_, when used, reminded her a lot of her _Secare _sword glyph, but she paid it no mind. It felt powerful, and its union attack sliced through the air with a fervour that she felt proud to have caused.

Continuing on after Albus warped into the room in pursuit, they soon found that there was yet another expanse of library to traverse after the Wallman's private study. At one point, there was a hole in the ceiling that was unreachable by Shanoa, but Albus could make it up and through with his high jump ability. Curious as to what might be in such a hard-to-reach area, they decided to scout on ahead.

Moving into position under the hatch in the ceiling, Albus motioned for Shanoa to step closer and then gently picked her up in his arms. She braced her weight with her arms draped across his shoulders and neck, looking upwards at their target far above them.

Readying himself, Albus took in a deep breath and crouched low for a split second as leverage when he channelled the abilities etched into his leathers that allowed for such inhuman jump abilities. The initial use of the glyphs would only send him so far - it was not an infinite height that he could vault, but he could recast the ability rapidly if needed, but the cost was at his inherent magic and stamina levels - and the ability was quite draining, especially with another person in two. Having had to channel the ability three times, he was still in safe levels of his metaphorical 'meters' of magic and stamina, but he did feel a bit like resting once they had made it to the upper floors.

Though, there was no time to rest, for the largest suit of knightly armor either of them had ever seen, so far, stood before them, and was advancing on their location.

The Great Knight swung at them with a large battle hammer, its movements thankfully slow and avoidable by the more agile combatants. The scuffle roused a somewhat hairy 'Diablo' demon from its little roost of books above them, and it joined the fray, spewing fire and summoning nightmarish balls of brimstone.

Taking the high ground, Shanoa followed her partner's suit by using her more ranged abilities to assist in pegging off the demon and sniping the Great Knight below them. Their victory came up short, as the corridor behind them led to a dead end. For all intents and purposes, _Paries _and _Warp _were not an option, so they would have to open the passageway from the other side; wherever it was.

Returning down to the main floors of the library, their path finally began to spiral downward, and soon led them to a kitchen area. The upper floors of the larder were well kept and tidy, but it was hard to say how old the high stacks of food crates were. All manner of herbs and caught game hung from spots in the rafters, but nothing of use showed itself to them. In one side room there was a Hanged Man ring (that Albus equipped afterwards to receive a defense and spell boost) and a _Refectio _glyph, which proved to be useful as it was a physical regeneration glyph. Albus asked to copy it into the glyph catalogue, as they might be able to pass it on to Abram the healer for use in the village med ward. The other perk of using the catalogue was that both he and Shanoa could have copies of the glyph as well, which would more than likely be useful in their current mission.

Scores of Mad Butchers, Tin Men, and Draculina's aside, there was little else that held their interest, save for several dining halls with fully set tables laid out with extravagant feasts. Neither of the two were hungry, but the spread of food certainly piqued their interests. But they did not give in to eating or drinking anything in the dark lord's castle.

Eventually the multiple dining halls brought them to a dead end, but a loose glyph hovered in the air as if to reward them for trekking all the way through the larder gauntlet.

Shanoa studied the glyph a moment, musing on the familiarity of the wolf's-head-shaped emblem to her. Without consulting her partner, she absorbed the glyph and smiled when her suspicions were confirmed; the power was _Dextro Custos_, and she had been granted it during her little jaunt in the time rift.

And though she knew there was a partner to it, she could feel that the glyph resonated with two other powers far away from her. She explained in brief her revelations to Albus, and they discussed the implications of a third piece and what purposes it might serve, taking in to consideration that it was representative of Cerberus, the three-headed hound from Ancient Greek mythology.

Thinking further on why rather than the what of the power's presence, Shanoa posed that perhaps the three pieces together could rival that of Dominus, or Count Dracula, but then reconsidered and corrected herself to say that harbouring such things within ones' own home was some level of foolish.

Albus shook his head negatively, considering Shanoa's guess to be an educated one. If spells and glyphs were considered on the same level as physical weapons such as swords and firearms, then it would not be so foolish - and he gave an example to further his suggestion, saying that if one had procured a weapon to defend their home, circumstances would be different if an intruder got their hands on the weapon first and used it against the owner.

In either case, the wielder was the one who would make use of the weapon - it would not know owner from intruder. So would the metaphorical person with the sword left on the table be any more foolish than the Count with glyphs strewn about the castle?

Agreeing to put the discussion on hold, they both knew it was likely that the conversation topic would not crop up again. Either way, they had to move on. Time was not on their side.

"I admit, I'm curious to see how that glyph looks." Albus began as they started to leave the room. "Well then? Let's see it."

Shanoa gave her mischievous smirk, immediately making an attack gesture with one arm towards Albus; a black spiritual wolf head with a red aura snarled out towards him. The marksman inhaled sharply as he flinched and back-dashed just before the jaw of the beast closed down on him.

"_Not_ what I meant!" Albus roared, startled half to death and not amused in the least.

"You dodged in time. I knew you would." Shanoa retorted, trying to remain nonchalant as she swept her bangs from out of her face. Even though Albus had a terrible hold on his temper when startled, she considered the moment priceless.

* * *

Backtracking to the library, the journey brought them into a forsaken-feeling cloister, guarded by tongue-flicking Cave Trolls, electrified Peeping Eyes known as Bugbears, and green Nova Skeletons that favored using dark magic beam -granting the _Nitesco _Glyph when absorbed.  
The battle through the long and narrow hallway soon brought the pair to a room with a statue of a three headed hound, presumable Cerberus, the guardian of the underworld. While Albus studied the contraption connected to it, Shanoa looked around and focused on the pull of magic energies coursing through this room.

"If that statue is Cerberus, then this must be the gateway into Hell." She said quietly in the barest form of a joke.

A half-hearted smile elicited from Albus before he went back to inspecting every inch of the statue for a switch or any noticeable mechanisms to fiddle with. "…Just need to figure out how to unseal it."

Looking down at her left hand, Shanoa paused in thought for a moment and then let loose an attack in the air from _Dextro Custos_. When she did so, one of the heads of the statue lit up in a purple glow. She tried the same attack, but neither of the other two heads lit up. Soon, the glow faded from the statue.

"Ah, so that's it." Folding her arms lightly, she sighed to herself and looked at the statue as if disappointed with it. "The other two pieces that this resonates with are the key to unlocking this gateway."

"Fantastic." Albus retorted sarcastically, also crossing his arms and looking with disdain at the statue. "Delay the inevitable by stalling hunters with little puzzles."

"Well, whatever floats his undead boat, I suppose."

Further on, a gateway barred their path, the mechanism appearing as a switch on the other side. However, after Albus had warped across and hit the switch, Shanoa paused and asked him to hold on a moment. She felt stronger magical ties pulling from the other two pieces of the Cerberus trio as they walked the cloister - yet they still felt so far away. The stronger, and assumedly closer one, felt as if up in the sky somewhere. The further one, however, felt far beneath her, as if it were underground.

Now there was a dilemma. For there had been a room they had briefly examined some point earlier that, upon reflection, was likely exploitable by the _Paries _wall synthesis glyph. And thus the choice lay before them, severely backtrack to see if the special room led underground, or continue onward and see where the narrow cloister's path took them. Either way, there was going to be some backtracking, if they were to follow the auras of the Cerberus pieces.

"I didn't expect a puzzle dilemma." Shanoa admitted rather flatly, more to herself than to her partner. "I was ready for endless combat and tiresome foes. But this…? I'm not sure if I should be skeptical or grateful."

"Perhaps a bit of both?" Albus offered. He felt similar in regards to the situation and was quite unsure what to make of it. Everything he had ever read of previous hunters' exploits into the Demon Fortress had not prepared him for something so tedious in a non-combat manner.

The pair further discussed whether or not they should live up to their hunter training and clear out every being of the darkness they could find within the castle, instead of just looking for the keys to the direct path to the lord of the castle. Silent deliberation followed, and they ended up deciding that routing the source of the power would be best. If they burned themselves out on the pawns, they would not have any strength left to corner the king, so to speak. And if their mission was successful, and they were still alive afterwards, they would rectify their actions and continue to hunt those of the night. If the castle did not take most of them with it when it collapsed in on itself, as it was fabled to do whenever Count Dracula was defeated and put back into torpor.

"The hunter lives for the hunt, after all." Albus mused aloud, rubbing his chin as he reflected on 'after' their mission. "Once we're done here, I imagine a quiet life would drive us a bit stir-crazy."

"I vote recruiting a band of bumbling brutes to help us protect the countryside." Shanoa offered, a small smile gracing her face as she mentally envisioned herself leading a group of burly barbarians into battle against undead creatures. "You can stay behind and do all the paperwork."

"Well thank you for that vote of confidence." Her partner scoffed, but laughed at her jest.

"Someone has to." Closing her eyes, Shanoa shrugged. "You're best suited for it. Besides, the leader gets all the boring work if they don't have a secretary - and I'm not a paper pusher in the slightest."

"No. No you aren't." Albus returned in a low tone. "Senior field agent, for sure."

"That makes me sound old." Shanoa replied, stepping beside him and nudging him with a shoulder.

"_Senorita_, then." He offered with an unapologetic grin.

Shanoa deadpanned and sighed inaudibly.

* * *

In the mechanical clock tower, gears and machines that seemed to hold no purpose aside from ambiance. And the more likely function as a veritable layout of traps to impede any vampire hunters that dared to trespass. The spike strips also spoke volumes on that matter.  
As for enemies, Shanoa and Albus were met by swift sword-wielding skeletons called Blade Masters, robotic AutomatonZX27s that wanted to 'play', pesky Imps with a penchant to cast crescent projectiles, and flocks of Medusa Heads that made advancing vertical terrain very tedious.

Another crossroads soon lay ahead of them when they found that their path through the Clock Tower lead both upwards and down.

What Albus could recall of the Clock Tower from old accounts, was that it was never the same twice, as was the general layout of the castle - it seemed to have a habit of extreme-landscaping itself. But all accounts of the Clock Tower remained steadfast in one regard, a powerful demon guarded the top. Several dossiers spoke of Death, the right hand man, demon, whatever, of Count Dracula, while a few others spoke of trial -specific creatures that plagued the hunter of the evening. His and Shanoa's trial was yet to be seen, but considering the odds, he would assume the worst case scenario and mentally prepare to face Death head on when the time came. To which he voted later than sooner.

"We've a nasty surprise awaiting us atop the tower." Albus admitted aloud to Shanoa, explaining afterwards in brief his readings on the subject. "I put forth the vote to first see what on earth in those depths is guarding the other piece of Cerberus."

"Seconded." Shanoa nodded and started on the downward path. Truth be told, she was eager to fight a powerful demon. But testing her strength a bit further beforehand was not time nor energy wasted.

Continuing on through more previously mentioned adversaries, the pair had a bit of difficulty with a small group of Lizardmen with large swords. Though not as quick as some of their melee weapon bearing foes, they made up for their lack of speed with immense power. It took some dancing about and some crushing blows against Shanoa's shield, but victory belonged to her and her partner in the end.

A moment of pause was taken in one alcove with a view; the full moon in its bright glory. And indeed, the beauty of the moon was appreciated, but the pause was more at the fact that the celestial body was so visible, when it should have been, at the very latest, the middle of the afternoon. A look passed between the pair, communicating the same question of just how long had they been there in the castle?

The rest of the path downward proved more tiresome and treacherous than they would have liked to admit. Shanoa thankfully had her Magnes glyph to manoeuvre around the steep drop-offs and spiked surfaces, and Albus relied on his High Jump and Warp abilities to keep him relatively intact, but the stretch of the unrelenting terrain wore on both of their stamina levels rather quickly. If not their patience. Another admittance of the readings about the area, and a scoffed explanation that most accounts had claimed that the tower was absolute hell to navigate.  
They passed through a room with a clock ornamented by two robed angels, stuck at stuck at 11:10, prompting a joke to pass between them about hopes of a warp room coming up soon. They both preferred to teleport back to near the Cerberus statue than having to climb back up the lower half of the Clock Tower and dealing with the tedious terrain and any more rapier wielding Red Smashers, hammer-savvy Hammer Shakers, and the swarms of Medusa heads.

* * *

Descending down into the Armory, the ambiance was that of finely maintained masonry and well-oiled wood doors and paneling. The lighting was much warmer than the other areas of the castle; yellow toned but in a brazier flame sort of way.  
Armor stands, shields and rifles were racked on the walls. Shelves of metal helms and greaves were abundant, all pieces so old and bulky - likely medieval era. Another downward stairwell was graced by a statue of a knight on a horse, and the walls decorated with portraits of helmed knights, and displays of one-hand swords. The decor was all tied together by the red carpets on pallid stone that contrasted well to catch the eye.

_'Why is the library in shambles and the Arms Depot in such good shape?'_ Albus wondered to himself somewhat bitterly, then realized a probably truth about the section of the castle._ 'Unless it's far more used than the other less-violent areas?'_

One detour brought them to a weapons room where one sword with a bat-like hilt came to life and surrounded itself with swords and shields as it flew at the pair. It was dangerous, much like a large flying saw blade of sorts, and with every sword or shield that was struck away it seemed as if two more took their places.  
Thankfully, the possessed sword was eventually felled with persistence and a few dual widespread attacks. For their efforts, they sustained a few light cuts here and there, and Shanoa gained the _Melio Scutum_ upgrade to her shield glyph.  
The sword that had attacked remained stuck into the ground where it fell, having faded into a dark form. Both Ecclesians eyed it suspiciously, and even cautiously touched it, then attempted to route the object, but it remained steadfast in its perch. They opted to leave it alone, hoping that it would not regain sentience any time soon and hinder their progress.

Between bouts with more armored foes, a creature called a Rebuild became one of their trials. It looked like a small version of the creature they had fought in the Giant's Dwelling appeared, though it was faster and seemed to like elemental lighting. Once defeated, it clutched at its head in anguish and turned to dust.  
The next trial was another large, armored Great Knight and a barbaric-looking King Skeleton, which proved to be difficult to get around in the corridor, for the knight nearly filled the room both height and width wise. But when that one fell, _Melio Falcir_ was waiting for Shanoa, and she was glad to upgrade her scythe glyph.

The far side of the Arms Depot was less impressive than the side they had entered through, for the stairwells were broken and the décor started to look less and less cared for. Mad Snatchers, crazy madmen with all manner of inhuman tendrils sticking out of their backs, gave chase and unsuccessfully attempted on the Ecclesian's lives.

Soon there was a joyous moment of success, for a teleportation device lay at the bottom of the dilapidated stairwell. The boon was not to last, however, for they still had a ways to go and plenty of strong foes to defeat on the way to the piece of Cerberus that they searched for.

Taking a short rest, they each took turns watching the entryway to the teleportation room while the other had a quick bite to eat to keep their stamina and their spirits up.

* * *

The corridors leading along the bottom floors of the Arms Depot contained more of the same décor as the upper levels, and the occupants within, aside from the intruding Albus and Shanoa, were another hulking Great Knight, King Skeleton, a pair of flying Spectral Swords, followed by another descending staircase guarded by a few more Mad Snatchers. The density of strong enemies per room in the castle armory was as much as a vampire hunter might have expected, but its toll on one's strength and stamina was another matter entirely.

A silent glance passed from Shanoa to Albus and back again, when they found themselves standing before another magically-sealed door that opened up in their presense.

The monstrous Eligor lay within the underground Coliseum, and the massive centaur-like creature took up a sizeable portion of the room that it presided over, its height nearly reaching the ceiling. The creature that was composed of Gothic-era decorated stone and metal had initially been still, and posed sitting on its haunches it had made a ramp up towards a sealed door which Shanoa could sense that it barred the way to another piece of the Cerberus glyph set.

Both hunters traversed up the back of the still creature, who lurched and came to life, rearing up, roaring, and bucking the two off rather violently. Surprise having taken them, both Albus and Shanoa hit the far wall rather hard. Harshly winded and in pain, they each managed to land safely on the ground - trying not to cough up a lung, but they were relatively intact otherwise.

Dodging the large foe's great sword slashes, and mighty hoof stomps, Shanoa wove around behind Eligor to look for a weak spot. She heard a loud click and registered that the creature's bladed tail was aimed for her, jumping out of the way just before it rocketed her way and embedded itself into the wall. Landing on the chain that connected the tail to the main body, she ran up the length of it and stood on their adversary's back.

In the meanwhile, Albus had busied himself with keeping Eligor's attention on him, trying in vain to take the centaur's legs out from under it via multiple Torpor lines. When that tactic failed to show lasting results, he shifted his primary focus to firing his more wide-ranged spell shots to disable the mounted crossbows that sat astride the heavy saddle-like armor on the creature's back.

After the mounted crossbows had been destroyed, Shanoa moved forward and struck at the odd eye at the back of Eligor's armored head, which caused it to roar in agony and attempt to reach back with both an arm and the colossal sword in attempts to dislodge her from her perch. She dodged with ease, finding a small 'sweet spot' on its back that it could not reach, but did have to move when it lurched back and tried rather ungracefully to nail her with its sword. In between the telegraphing swipes, she landed several more hits to Eligor's weak spot.

The giant centaur suddenly ran forward, nearly trampling Albus in the process, and crashed unceremoniously into the far wall, all movement ceasing as it became stone still and fell silent.

The seal on the door above Shanoa unlocked, and she headed into the next room to absorb the second piece of Cerberus, the white-headed wolf glyph named _Sinestro Custos_. Two down, one to go.

Triumphantly returning to the coliseum, she nodded at Albus in signal that she had found the second piece, and after descending down the remains of their large enemy, she devilishly asked her partner if he wanted to see what the second wolfs' head looked like. He politely declined, expression having fallen flat, following after her through the Arms Depot and up to the warp room that they had found earlier.

* * *

Having traversed the open corridor past the Cerberus statue, they returned to the upper levels of the Mechanical Tower. The ascent further upwards was surprisingly less tedious than the descent down to the Arms Depot. Through perseverance and the expense of a fair amount of patience, they soon arrived at the pinnacle of the clock tower.

In an empty alcove swathed in the pale moonlight, Death took them by surprise. Metaphorically, and not literally, for the immortal being was indeed literally named after his domain over the mortal coil. But the two Ecclesians had no intention of dying by this one's icy hand of death.

They had been alert as they had entered the open-air room, but the demon had awaited them from outside in the dark night air and swept into the alcove from the open balcony, only alerting them to his presense when they heard the fluttering of the fabric of the demon's tattered green and red robes.

A foreboding voice with an ethereal echo sounded from the skull of the reaper. "I shall cut you down!" And without warning, he glided towards the two humans, summoning little sickles around him that hovered in the air and moved about with their own will.

Albus took to countering the flying sickles, keeping Shanoa covered as she engaged in a scythe melee battle with Death, their weapons clashing mightily over and over. In the first stage of their duel, Death managed some shallow cuts with his scythe and Shanoa landed a few blows when union-casting _Vol Luminatio _with _Melio Falcis_ glyph; the white crescent strike sparkling as it hit the demon.

Backing off from the female warrior, Death summoned three swirling red demonic souls that orbited him, increasing the circumference of their path. Shanoa dodged lithely, practically dancing in her footwork as she did so, switching to her dual rapiers to assist in fending off any spare sickles that had not been down yet by her partner. Albus warped to avoid the souls, a bit distracted by his vigil on downing the flying weapons, and one of the red projectiles clipped his shoulder, burning intensely with an otherworldly pain. Gritting his teeth, he let out a short growl in pain and returned to his steadfast role of eagle-eyed support.

Death had many more tricks up his robe sleeves, deploying them all without hesitation or mercy for he had much to protect and a cause to serve to the last ounce of energy that his corporeal form could muster. His opponents were quick and had surprisingly strong light attacks, but he wasn't so easily challenged - his attacks hit home more than a few times and the sounds each fighter made when struck by blade or spell was practically music to the reaper's ears. (A lament-filled dirge to... whatever ear-holes were in his skulls, to be a bit more precise.)

But there was only so much damage Death's physical self could sustain before he would return to the void and would need to replenish his energy before he could return to the mortal coil as more than a spirit. Though he was the aspect of Death and part of the judgement cycle of the afterlife, he was still bound to certain rules of the cycle of life and the manifestations of twisted energies and magics.

The reaper uttered a cry in disbelief as he felt the tearing of his physical form and the dispersal of the magic that held it together. "Noooooo!" Death was fading fast, but he had enough time to make things a bit more dramatic. He rarely took things personally, it was his job to bar the way to Count Dracula, after all - and he did have souls to judge as he awaited his return to the mortal realm. It was not a huge deal in the long run, but he _did _have a reputation to maintain.

"Why... you...!" The ethereal voice bellowed from the hooded skull, as his form disintegrated into red mist that then faded into nothingness as it was carried off by a cold breeze that blew across the open air alcove.

Rather worse for wear, but not mortally wounded, the two fighters slumped to the floor after their foe vanished. Albus lay prone in a starfish position on the floor, while Shanoa lay across the room in a corner, having slumped to her knees and let herself fall on to her front. The floor was rather chilly, and she forced herself to breathe silently as she stared across the room blankly as she awaited her energy and stamina to replenish itself.

"...Shanoa? ...You alright?" Albus's voice trailed over, quiet, yet touched by concern.

"...I'm ...fine." She breathed, turning her head in the direction of her partner and resting her cheek on the cold floor. "... Just need a moment. You?"

"I would like several moments..." He sighed tiredly, eyes closing for a moment. "If that's fine by you."

"Yeah... take your time."

Eventually, Albus hauled himself on to his feet and moved over to where Shanoa lay resting, and offered her a hand up. She accepted, standing slowly and not bothering to brush her long hair out of her face until she was completely upright. But before then, she looked a bit on the terrifying side, having the semblance like one of the screeching Banshees from back in the Monastery.

The researcher did his best not to flinch, but there was a lingering twinge to his expression that caught Shanoa's attention. She asked what was wrong, then upon noting that her partner refused to answer, she gave a bit of a smirk and quickly wiped a hand over her cheeks and forehead, asking if she had something on her face. Shaking his head 'no', he chuckled quietly and admitted that she had looked like an evil spirit for a moment. That got a laugh, and then a melancholy look took over as she thought back on her own sort of doppelganger from the time rift - to which it was her turn to be asked if she were all right.

"I'm fine." Shanoa admitted, giving a curt nod. She could not tear her eyes from the floor in that moment, but did manage to start towards the door across the room that Death had prevented them from entering. "I was just thinking back to my experiences in the time rift... and I suppose I'm worried about the 'other' me in her own timeline, and that she'll be alright being a _lone _blade to banish all evil."

Arms having crossed as she had spoken, Albus looked at his partner studiously for a moment as he stood in the doorway to the next room, mulling over her words and his response in his thoughts as he awaited Shanoa's absorption of the final piece of the Cerberus glyph trio,_ Arma Custos_.

"...Considering that it's _you_, I think _she_'ll be fine." He nodded, giving a tiny smile after speaking the sentiment. "I imagine she would be even more dead-set on her goals if she doesn't have anyone hindering her progress."

"Albus-" Shanoa started to protest, but allowed herself to be silenced when he put up a hand to shush her.

"-No, listen. We're both very strong on our own, and though we are a fantastic team, I've held back your true potential by splitting Dominus between us. It was very selfish of me, and if this doesn't end up working, then I... well, I'll never forgive myself."

Melancholy was not becoming of Albus, nor had it ever been, but there was nothing that Shanoa could say to her partner that would help. He was, unfortunately, likely quite correct in his assumptions at usurping power from her. But they were a team in this timeline, and that was how they were going to see through their mission. Silently, she put a hand on his upper arm and gave a light squeeze, offering a small smile in support before giving a tug and leading him out of the room.

Making small-talk as they headed for the Mechanical Tower's warp room, Shanoa purposely refrained from saying Barlowe's name. "Do you think if circumstances had been different, would..._ the Master_ be proud of our progress?" Oddly enough, she had found it hard to withhold saying the full title.

"I sincerely want to believe so." Albus's reply was near-instant, as if he did not have to think on the sentiment - it came straight from the heart. His stride as he walked next to her was purposeful, and he did not seem to notice that Shanoa was having a bit of a time keeping up. "And he is another reason why we cannot fail - as Dracula's vessel, we have the duty to put our former master to rest, body _and_ spirit."

"Seconded." Shanoa nodded, not pursuing the topic any further.

Again they used a warp globule to return to the library, and traversed the long corridor back to the Cerberus statue. Shanoa looked up at the hatch that had opened up in the ceiling as the statue lowered into the ground after she had equipped and activated all three pieces of the Cerberus glyphs: _Sinestro Custos_, _Dextro Custos_, and _Arma Custos_.

"...It worked. The power inside is incredible... " She murmured under her breath, rather certain that the ominous power she felt above was Dracula himself. "Come, let us tread into Hell itself."

Albus nodded in agreement as he looked up towards the dark hole in the ceiling. "I suppose this wouldn't be a prudent time to say 'ladies first'?"

* * *

A tall tower with near-endless stairs awaited them, swarming with Medusa Heads and Guardian Skeletons that had become rather tiresome by the time they had reached the final approach that lay past the spiraling staircase. The visible architecture in the far background of the final towers were far more ornate than anything that they had previously laid eyes on. Despite the fanciness of the surroundings, the delicate masonry and intricate tiling was in weather-worn ancient stone, therefore showing occasional signs of wear and tear via weather erosion, and crumbling foundations in some of the upper ledges.

Plenty of Dracula's minions rose to meet the two human intruders, and plenty of them fell by the Ecclesians' attacks. There were no new enemies to take note of, so dispatching those they already were aware how to dispatch were easy enough to handle, even in greater numbers.  
However, being quite busied with the larger enemies left them with small, momentary gaps in their defenses that a pair of mischievous Imps took advantage of. Taking their opportunity to strike, the Imps each managed to sneak-attack the two humans, despite their back-to-back defense position. Imps had the rather nasty habit of being able to control their victims once they had jabbed their little imbued pitchforks into the person's head, and these particular Imps thought it would be hilarious to have the intruders punch each other out - then the mischief makers would watch and wait for other, larger, minions to arrive and dispose of the two unconscious humans. Unfortunately for the Imps, the two warriors were far stronger than they had anticipated. Indeed, Albus and Shanoa had unwillingly punched each other in the face, miraculously avoiding teeth and noses as their hits each connected with solid cheekbone with forces that were a bit unnatural for a human to possess. Both grimaced, looked at each other apologetically for a moment, before their eyes each caught a look at the scheming little Imps behind their partners' head.  
Several moments later, and through no small amount of force of willpower, the Ecclesians had caught the little tricksters and pinned them to the ground as they returned the favour - fists and all. Let it be said that one, _or both,_ of them may have muttered 'think that's funny, do you?' as they lay hands on the little devils.

Sated in their small round of revenge, Shanoa lead the way onward into a corridor guarded by a pair of Spectral Swords, the next room well-patrolled by many Cave Trolls, followed by a quiet chamber with a lesser succubus awaiting them. Beyond the small room lay a straightforward corridor containing two large Final Knights, who were bigger challenges to topple than the Great Knights that they had battled in the library and Arms Depot.  
The Final Knights moved very slow, but wielded surprisingly large weapons that looked like a cross between a two-sided battle hammer and a scythe. Shanoa found herself wishing she could upgrade _Melio Falcis_ to look like the Final Knight's weapon - to which she smirked to herself when she realized that she was starting to harbour weapon envy. How quaint.

Between her and Albus, they kept their distance from the heavily armored foes, opting to take one out at a time. Shanoa would move in striking distance when its movements allowed for it - it was slower than she and its moves were easy to predict, but she knew that if she let it hit her, she would need more than a healing potion to repair whatever damage it could do.

It took a bit of time, but they whittled down the stamina of both Final Knights and moved onward, ever closer to the castle keep.

In an empty alcove, a red glyph lay below them. Hopping down first, Albus moved towards the glyph and studied it a moment in his usual 'observing' pose. Noting that the image was in the shape of wings, he turned to Shanoa as she approached and insisted that she take the glyph.

She nodded, but while turning to absorb the glyph, she paused as she lifted her hair away from her back. "What about you?"

"If it's going to do what I think it is, I would say that you would get more use out of it." Albus replied, eyes still fixated on the floating red glyph. "I'm sure there's some insipid sentiment somewhere about not needing wings to fly when I'm with my elegant partner."

Chuckling softly, Shanoa smile and shook her head, saying nothing as she absorbed the flight-granting glyph, _Volaticus_. Closing her eyes, she then focused on activating it, and called forth 'wings!' automatically as she did so. She stood proud and tall, enveloped by two dark and large wings protruding from her back, a purple glow illuminating each and every feather.

"How do they look?" She asked aloud, turning about and taking note of how weight-bearing they seemed to be. Instead of simple aesthetic frippery, they would be practical and useful. A single flap from the grand wings accentuated her question, before she let them fall to resting position behind her.

"Beautiful." Albus put a hand to his face as if to cover his expression. And perhaps a bit of a blush. But he would never admit it aloud. A dark angel stood before him, and the mere sight of her reinvigorated his hope for their mission and their future. "You wear them well."

Shanoa nodded her thanks and decided to give her wings a quick test, to which she soon found an opening in the ceiling of the alcove that led to a makeshift den of ever-watching Bugbears. She cleared out most of them before poking her head down through the hole to holler down to Albus that she would 'just be another moment'. The spoils of her short battle were a Sun ring and an armful of potions that would strengthen their abilities. Floating back down to ground level, she passed one of the potions over to Albus and with the one she kept for herself, she 'toasted' against his before drinking it down.

Albus examined the Sun ring closely, looking at the inscription, then out through one of the windows at the eternal night outside. Would such a ring work within the confines of the castle and the dark miasma surrounding it? With a shrug to himself, he then put the Sun ring on his right hand and awaited some sort of empowering sensation. Nothing. Either the power of the ring was blocked, or it really was night time in the real world. Such a boon was ill-timed, and the luck seemed not to be in their stars. But they had other powers to rely on and use, as well as their wits, strengths and determination.

A bit of back-tracking was soon in order, for they found themselves at the opposite side of the barricade that had prevented their advance from the hard-to-reach ceiling hatch they had found in the library. After activating the switch to keep the way clear, they foraged back through the corridors they had previously cleared and looked for another way up to the castle keep.

Even more Devils, Final Knights, Bugbears, Liliths, Automatons, Lizardman Blades, and Blade Masters stood in their way. And all were felled by sword and spell of the combat-specialist duo. Despite that most warriors would feel a rush at being so capable of dispatching the Dark Lord's minions with relative ease and efficiency, the pair felt nothing but rising apprehension within them as they neared the final pinnacle of the castle. Surrounded by pieces of shattered staircase that once led to the Count's keep, Albus stood with Shanoa in silence as the looked up at their destination ahead. In the open-air pathway, the night wind whipped around them, howling as it pierced their skin with its bitter chill. The moon, shrouded by grey clouds, gave off a faint light, but everything around and below them was pitch black. The glint of the clock tower in the distance was visible, as were the torches lighting either side of the door far above them at the keep's entrance, but the rest was just an unsettling void of darkness.

Shanoa looked upon her partner with concern, assuming that the unsettled look on his face matched hers for the same reason: the pit of emptiness she felt within her, despite her limited emotion range. "Well, this is it."

"Yes..." Her partner's voice trailed off, and he had not looked away from the doorway of the keep. Whatever it was that he was thinking was really testing his concentration.

"Are we really ready for this?" Doubt had found its way into Shanoa's thoughts, yet she mentally argued with herself to remain optimistic towards their cause and their ability to see the mission through. But that had caught Albus's attention.

Closing the gap between them, Albus cupped her face in his hands and rested his forehead against hers. "We can do this. You've worked so hard for this moment and you've become so strong."

"We both have." Shanoa nodded, her hands clasping over his and she fought to give him a smile. "No dying on me, okay?"

"Ha... You either." Albus countered, but there was no humour in his voice. He was dead serious. "Even if we... fail... we've still done the best we could in the impossible circumstances we were forced into."

Eyes closing, Shanoa took in a deep breath and focused on the tender proximity of her partner, allowing the touch of the one closest to her to help center her and settle her nerves. They could do this. They _would _do this.

"...Let's vanquish this horrible night, shall we?"


	15. Power Begets Power

The Dark Lord, Count Dracula, sat casually on his throne as if awaiting the two warriors. Languidly, he looked up from resting his chin on one hand and gave a light smile in amusement.

"What a handsome pair." The voice of the towering undead lord was not severe, yet rather smooth and complacent as he addressed the two with the faintest touch of mockery in his tone. "You certainly tore up my castle in getting here."

Never to be admitted aloud, the elder vampire considered himself a gracious host as he allowed his 'guests' a moments' rest by means of engaging them in idle chat. After all, things were never interesting, let alone a challenge, if his opponents were tired out by their long trek up to his private chambers.

"So. Is it you to whom I owe my resurrection?" Dracula asked, seeming as if he were genuinely interested. He knew the truth, but part of the usual 'dance' was to hear whatever banter the so-called heroes of the day had to parrot at him before the 'festivities' began. "What is it you desire of me? Power? A place at my side?"

"Neither, I'm afraid."Albus shook his head, cringing a bit when the vampire had gestured to the left of his throne upon speaking of taking a place at his side.

"We're not your benefactors." Shanoa added, shaking her head negatively, keeping a stoic stance next to her partner; one of her spell rapiers drawn.

"We've come to return you to your slumber." Albus stated in an almost apologetic way, but it was his dry humor flavouring the delivery of his words. "Your revival was not intended."

A dark chuckle sounded from Dracula as he considered the words of the youths before him. "Then that puts a damper on our relationship. Too bad, as the power you two share could have taken you far."

Immediately, Shanoa and Albus braced themselves in low defensive stances.

"-Powers that were once rightfully mine." Dracula stood from his throne, his huge stature casting an impressive and unnatural shadow around him. "Who do you people think you are, stealing my essence?"

"We're the remnants of the true Order of Ecclesia," Albus started, trailing off to let Shanoa add in her own sentiment.

"We are the dawn after the darkness." She continued, standing straight and pointing her rapier directly at Dracula. "And we have come to vanquish you and this horrible night."

If they had not known any better, they might have sworn that the Dark Lord's expression had flattened ever so briefly, as if he was so very tired of having heard similar sentiments uttered in his direction.

"Let the dance begin."

* * *

As so many times before in history, the battle between human heroes and the vampiric dark lord was of fierce and mighty magnitude; that not even the mightiest wordsmith could do justice in poem or prose, nor could any bard ever hope to capture the conflict's raw and barbaric majesty in song or verse.

The factor of two against one held little sway in the favour of the Ecclesians, as their foe was mightier than all tales had ever lead them to believe. Yet they were not easily defeated either, due to their own strengths and certain abilities which mirrored that of their adversary. However, being human was their weakness against wielding such dark powers, for their stamina and magic - though heightened through the research efforts of their Order - was finite due to their connection to the mortal coil.

His opponents having tired some time into the fight, Dracula seemed more irritated than amused. "What nonsense is this?" He taunted, after having sent a life-draining bat swarm after the pair, to which they had taken cover behind a scattered barrage of amber crystals that the marksman had laid down defensively. "You will never defeat me with such feeble tricks!"

Vanishing into thin air, Dracula reappeared behind his two opponents and managed to get the drop on them, gripping one person by their necks in each of his massive hands. And though he was so very tempted to crush their windpipes, he simply watched in delight as the pair squirmed, fully at his mercy.

"You're... toying with us," A furious Albus managed to croak out, failing at prying the strong hand from around his neck.

Expression flat, Dracula harshly threw the young marksman to the ground, then looked to the woman he still held captive and quietly commanded her to be still - not that she listened. "Do you children really think you can stand up to me?"

Albus had since gotten up on his hands and knees, but could manage no further at the moment due to having been harshly winded when he had hit the stone floor with terrible force. "...There... have been younger heroes... that defeated you."

Dracula stooped down before Albus and pulled on the sand-coloured hair to force eye contact with the youth. "The Belmont clan is one thorn in my side already." A severe look of distaste passed across the Count's face."-What kind of organization sends in those who have yet to live?"

"...Combat is our sole reason for living." Shanoa whispered, still struggling to get free of the Count's grip. To her surprise, she was thereafter set down on the floor next to her immobile partner.

"Children sent into battle... -wrapped up in this war." The dark lord paced about as he admonished his 'guests', and their ilk. "Is innocence nothing to you humans? -Concepts of good and evil are indeed blurred. Power always wins - if you are searching for what is truly evil, try the darkness in man's hearts." A pause, as the dark lord placed a hand over his heart. "Like the heart of your fallen Master."

"Why you-" The words were incoherent, more of a guttural grunt, but the meaning behind Albus's short, pained, outburst got across. He was silenced by shooting pain in his chest, which he clutched at with a groan. Shanoa in the meanwhile placed a hand on the center of his back and extended _Refectio's_ healing effects to him. While quickly slipping her darkness resist hairpin over his left ear, she whispered under her breath to him that he should activate his own copy of _Refectio_.

"Oh, dear Barlowe put up a mighty struggle against my influence for years," Ceasing his pacing, Dracula teleported back to his throne. "-But time is something I have an eternity of - and eventually, that old man's will cracked and allowed the influence of my... subtle suggestions. Piety is a farce."

And with that, the two Ecclesians stood again, ready to continue their battle, which amused the vampire to no end. It never failed that questioning piety and solidarity in the name of the light tended to get humans whipped up into a frenzy.

Whatever it was that had reinvigorated the pair of fighters, had certainly done the job, for the two fought on with increasing fervour than before. Perhaps they had tapped into Dominus, or perhaps they had finally, and fully, convinced themselves that they were fighting to their last. To give their all, that was their true mission. No matter what happened.

Glancing blows from the vampire lord were landed, but in return the two Ecclesians landed heavier hits than the earlier round, each successful landed attack and each of their successful dodges served to increase the rising irritation of their undead adversary.

Between the two of them, they dual-cast the Acerbatus spell shot for heavy damage, to which afterwards Albus distracted Dracula with his varying spell shots as Shanoa cycled through some of her more powerful union attacks before settling on letting out as many rounds of her light and dark glyph union attacks that she could manage before completely exhausting her stamina. The collateral damage to Albus was lessened by the hairpin, but he still felt each wave of darkness hit his very core, despite his personal shield wall of Torpor crystals he had hastily erected in defense.

Each wave blasted the Count, the effects of the light magic in the unions spell piercing his shroud of darkness, to which he put an arm up to cover his eyes from the blinding brilliance. "Enough!" He finally bellowed, sending his assailants flying away with a might blast of power.

Shanoa slowed her fall with her wings, and moved to catch and steady Albus who had tumbled along the ground near her.

"Time to show you two whelps how to really wield power such as mine!" Hunching forward, Dracula channelled an unknown spell; the immense level of energy he moved caused the very room to shake and rumble.

Albus weakly murmured Shanoa's name, his voice all but gone - they had their only opening to cast Dominus upon Dracula. She looked at her partner and let out a pained breath as she took his hand and squeezed it. They stood parallel to each other, hands linked to form a closed circuit, and they focused on channelling the Union of the full Dominus spell, casting all three pieces of the dark power together.

A red, burning miasma surrounded them as they successfully channelled the three pieces, and then directed it to fill the castle keep, effectively engulfing Dracula along with them inside the spell.

Their efforts null-and-voided whatever attack that the Dark Lord had been channelling, and the sacrifice give unto Dominus cast his essence from the vessel he was tied to, screaming in defiance, as it was banished it back into the depths of the nether.

The radiance of a new, white light surrounded Shanoa and Albus, soft and comforting... as they both weakened and fell to the ground, side by side.

_'...My life... I feel it... ...ebbing away. ...so quiet... I can't hear anything.'_ Eyes closed, Shanoa felt a wave of relief flow through her... and though she held Albus's hand tightly she felt it slacken and fall from her grip.

* * *

It felt like the room spun several time before she opened her eyes again, and found herself standing in an infinite white space. Not dark, as expected of fading unto oblivion. Looking around, she called out for Albus, finding herself voiceless.  
A moment later, he materialized into view. She smiled in relief, which he mirrored as he had reacted the exact same way as she. He held out a hand to her, which she reached for... and... her hand went right through his. She looked up at him, her internal shock not reflecting in her expression.

With a soundless sigh, Albus offered her a saddened smile in return. So, this was their death, was it? An eternity in an empty void? Purgatory perhaps? He thought that limbo would have been more suiting for himself, but for Shanoa? She had done nothing wrong - he knew he had been the one to drag her down his questionable path but she'd never lost her humanity...  
Something to his left drew his attention - what it was he couldn't say, for he only had a feeling to start walking onward. He gestured for Shanoa to follow, which she did, keeping in close stride with him. Her shoulder would have brushed against his upper arm had they been corporeal.

As they wandered onward, the illusion of a light blue sky slowly came into view, and the white ground beneath them became misty and almost cloud-like.

A human figure appeared some ways away from them, and as they approached they looked upon a shining medieval-era knight dressed in silver chain mail and plate armor, accented with a blue and white tabard bearing a long-tailed gryphon.  
The knight, looking a little battle-haggard, but otherwise somewhat youthful, sported voluminous blond hair and had icy blue eyes that pierced their very souls. Although he smiled at the pair as they approached, they were a bit hesitant as they had no idea whom they stood before.

Well, Albus had an idea but he had never been much for names. He thought to himself 'The Belmont Patriarch' and then the man's name came to mind, to which the smile on the knight's face brightened visibly.

Shanoa blinked, surprised, when the knight extended a hand towards her. She went to take it, but pulled back and glanced at Albus. Although pained, he did his best to be supportive as he nodded at her that everything would be all right.

Expecting her hand to go through again, Shanoa found that there was actual contact, and she looked up at the kindly knight in awe. He was a bit taller than Albus, and had a different presence about him - steadfast conviction and an unwavering sense of justice, with kindness radiating above all.  
The knight gave her a smile and squeezed her hand before turning his gaze to Albus, studying him for a moment. The way he tilted his head slightly as he so spoke volumes, as if he had a decision to make in regards to Albus's fate. After a moment, he extended his free hand towards the other former-Ecclesian, giving him the same welcoming smile.

Once Albus stepped forward and took the hand that was offered, both he and Shanoa witnessed dozens of people fade into view, all with the same welcoming demeanour as their knightly escort.

The faintest apparition of a dark-haired female clad in blue and white appeared next to the Belmont patriarch, placing a ghostly hand on his shoulder and giving him a concerned look before looking at the two youths a moment, and seemingly whispering something to the knight before fading out of existence as quickly as she had appeared.  
As pleased as the knight had been to see the maiden of the holy whip's essence materialize, his expression fell after her disappearance and he dwelt on a thought for a moment, having since retracted his hands from both Ecclesians.  
His smile soon found its way back and he was heard by both to quietly say 'You'll not share her fate just yet,' before giving them both a little push on their chests.

A sensation of falling overtook the pair as the infinite white fell away and their consciousnesses metaphorically came crashing back to their bodies. They had only been gone for a second in their time, but their bodies felt so tired and stiff as if they had been lying on the cold stone floor for years.

Despite their return from the brink of death, it was truly the effects of their sacrifice to Dominus that caused them to feel so absolutely awful inside.  
Their souls had each been sundered in half, and through a small twist of fate, if not the machinations of divine powers, they were still human and not shambling husks.

Groaning as he sat up, Albus put a hand to his forehead and clenched his teeth as he fought the spinning sensation that had suddenly started to affect him. "S-Shanoa?" He asked, thankful to have a voice again.

"Y-yeah," She grunted, flopping over on to one side and curling into a ball on the floor. "Everything hurts."

The ground started shaking, and sounds of collapsing masonry echoed up from the lower reaches of the castle.

"... I think it's going to hurt a lot more if we don't get out of here." Shakily, Albus got to his feet and moved to help Shanoa up. They both produced Magical Tickets from their inventories and attempted to use them, but whatever dampening spells that had been placed on the castle keep prevented them from teleporting out.

Shanoa quickly scanned the room, pausing at a cracked stained glass window. "Fast route out, coming up." She said, still rather languid, taking Albus's hand and tugging him forward towards the window at a slow jog. Once they had crashed out the window, the light of dawn that started to seep out from the dissipating clouds struck them, imbuing them with a little more vigor, despite the fact that it was a long way down to the lake that the keep overlooked.

Clinging to her partner as the wind roared past her ears, Shanoa posed a loud question, both out of exasperation of their situation, and so that she could be heard over the elements. "Why didn't you warp us?!"

"I tried!" Albus hollered in return, eyes rather bewildered at his sudden inability to warp. "Use your wings!"After failing to summon them, she just looked at him in mute shock. "You're not going to live this one down for a while," He grumbled, clutching her tightly with one arm as he readied his magical ticket - the items were sure to work since now that they were really outside of the keep. "Ready? Go!"

* * *

They had been several feet from the surface of the water before they teleported away and returned to the village square of Wygol. Their unceremonious entrance, falling to the cobbled ground due to the momentum of their descent from the castle keep, luckily went without witness as it was still too early for anyone to be out and about.  
After two resounding 'thumps' and a few utterances of 'ow', the two successful warriors looked at each other and laughed, until another round of 'ows' stopped them from expressing their amused relief.

Practically crawling into the infirmary, the two headed into the small kitchenette, found something to eat, prepared tea, and proceeded to pass out with their heads resting on their arms atop the small table.

Irina found them some hours later, chuckling as she shook her 'eldest children' awake and welcomed them home. She then disappeared for a few minutes, telling both youths that she would be right back, while the two groggily did their best to wake themselves up.

Truth be told, they still felt absolutely awful, as if a whole month of sleep would not be enough to mend their tired bodies.  
Shanoa reached a hand across the table, smiling softly when Albus took a hold of it in one of his hands and squeezed gently. The moment of respite was not to last, as the sound of a commotion outside was heard. A glance passed between the two right before they hastily tore themselves out of their seats and hustled to the front door of the infirmary.

Immediately their hearts warmed at the sight of the villagers of Wygol all cheering at the return of their resident warriors.

Even though the truth of Shanoa and Albus's mission had never been fully revealed to the lovely folks who had taken them in and cared for them as their own, the villagers knew. And they would revel with them in their success.


	16. Epilogue

_Some time later…  
_

* * *

Albus sat in the main office of the new (and considerably smaller) Order of Ecclesia, handling important paperwork and other Order business. As the new head of the foundation, he was rarely called into the field, and was left to delegate tasks, missions, and do all of the bookkeeping necessary to keep things afloat.

The previous Master of the Order had cut ties with the Vatican when he had descended into madness after being tainted by the vessel of Dracula's soul, and trying to re-establish connections with the holy community had been nothing short of trying.  
As it were, they were nearly on the receiving end of a _full-scale inquisition_. It was difficult teetering on the edge of a witch-hunt, while Albus and his colleagues worked so hard to keep the peace in Romania and wherever they were called to.

It was several times harder for both he and Shanoa, as with their sacrifice to Dominus they had involuntarily given up their magical aptitude. They had become so magically inept that glyph magic would not bend to their will, nor could they channel magical energies or residues for imbuing objects. The magic rings they had collected worked a bit, but that was as far as their luck went.

As 'normal' humans, it had been hard for them to adjust to having to use normal weapons and rely more on their own senses, in the absence of all the glyph magic they had come to rely on, and possibly had taken for granted in some sense.  
And yet it was a never-ending source of stress for Albus; if they were overrun by the forces of darkness, or those on a witch hunt, they would be near-powerless to stop them despite all efforts to fight to their last. Regardless of their weakened states, they continued to fight the remnants of the darkness, there was always something to keep them busy, be it werewolves, lesser vampires, so on and so forth, and that warranted the need to recruit new followers to the job.

An elderly nun named Terra visited from time to time, in the company of an aging Doctor Iris. The two ladies had seen their fair share of dark times, but were steadfast in their commitment to the betterment of mankind and often delivered information and mission requests whenever they sent letters, or on rarer occasions stopped by for a visit.

To add to the roster of allies, the Order had since rounded up Master Morris Baldwin and his pupils, Hugh Baldwin and Nathan Graves. All three were a great asset to the Order in many ways.

The villagers from Wygol were a bit divided on joining the order, but were unanimous in their continuous support of it. Serge and Anna had since become new students, as they were distant relatives of the Belmont and Belnades lineages, and so tapping into their latent powers would help them protect themselves and perhaps others when they grew older. Master Baldwin had since taken the young lad Serge under his wing to train. In Anna's case she was more magic affluent rather than combat, and her teacher was more often than not off on away missions. Until a replacement for Shanoa could be found, Anna partook of the same drill exercises as her brother - there had been some resistance at first, but Albus had managed to smooth (if not slightly threaten) the situation into an acceptable compromise.

Ecclesia was slowly growing, and with the help of Wygol, it had at least become a viable hub for adventurers and journeyers to seek refuge in while on their travels. But the permanent member listing was still horribly short and that needed to change.

With a sigh, Albus looked up from his paperwork and over towards the large window that overlooked the courtyard. Under the window, young Carrie played with her blocks quietly in her little spot of the room just out of the way enough of Albus's work but close enough that he could keep an eye on her - not that she wandered about all that much. She was such a quiet and well-behaved child that it was never a chore to keep an eye on her while her mother was away on a mission.

Albus was usually quite attentive to Carrie, even when buried under paperwork, and would often take breaks to join her in her little corner of the room; playing toys with her, or reading her a passage from a book, before going back to work for another hour or so. The carefree breaks were rather therapeutic and kept his stress levels down considerably.  
He worried for her future, and hoped that she would grow up strong and adept like her parents. The toddler looked so much like her mother, but her eyes were that of an old soul, and an uncanny amber colour. Her hair… well, where it ought to have been a marvellous black, it was just a murky brown colour - likely something that he would have to hear her complain about once she reached her teen years.

While musing on the child's similarities to her female parent, something outside caught his eye and he looked out the windows behind his desk, towards the front gate. Smiling to himself when he saw a solitary blue and black figure emerge through the gates, he put down his quill and moved over to where Carrie sat.

"Guess who's home, my dear?" He asked her as he leaned down to pick her up, and carefully held her close while exiting the head office and heading down the hallway.

The toddler looked at him studiously for a moment, beamed happily upon realizing who the missing parent was and then started chanting 'Mom' over and over, her excited tone filling the back halls of the cathedral as they descended the stairs together.

When Shanoa entered through the cathedral's doors, she was greeted by her daughter excitedly calling for her repeatedly, with Albus soon joining suit to also chant 'Mom-Mom-Mom' while rocking back and forth on his heels to add to the childishness of his antics.

Giving a light sigh followed by a laugh, Shanoa jogged forward to tightly hug her family.

* * *

_~fin  
_

* * *

**Author's Notes:**

Finally! It's finished. I am relieved that it's over, as it took up head space for some time. Not necessarily a bad thing, but it counted amongst my huge pile of unfinished creative works.

Granted, I am sorely tempted to continue with extra chapters containing moments from the new Order's dealings. So far I only have snippets of conversations between some of the characters but there is the potential for a lot of ideas and more fudging with the timelines of OoE and all the games near the timeline that are either still canon or not-so-canon, as in 64/LOD and CotM. Eh, we'll see how it goes. It wouldn't end very well, honestly, as it would quit once Carrie's backstory comes into play - which would turn into a disbanding of the Order and the start of her angst-ridden pre-teen years. The poor dear.

...ANYWAY, **I would like to thank you, dear reader, for taking the time to embark on this journey with me.** You are fantastic, and I appreciate you sticking around to read this horrid fudging of Order of Ecclesia's story line.


	17. Extra Scenes - New Life

**This chapter entails several short scenarios relating to family life in the new Order of Ecclesia, until its downfall some time later. (Which may or may not be explored later on.)**

* * *

**Post 'Clan &amp; Kin' Scenario - Expecting**

_[Set a a couple of months after the defeat of Dracula, and the re-establishing of the Order. As far as the relationship of the 'classic Order' members goes, they keep everything professional during the day to avoid accusations of favoritism, and to maintain good relations with their comrades. They don't lie about their relationship, they just don't freely offer the information. Plus the non-villager members don't ask point-blank, so there is a lot of quiet confusion regarding if they are a couple or not. Yay gossip.]_

* * *

In Ecclesia's head office, Albus looked up from whatever paperwork he had been occupied with and gave Shanoa a light smile before his gaze shifted back to the papers he then shuffled through.

"There you are, I was wondering where you had gotten off to when you didn't report for morning duty." The new Order leader said while setting his quill back into the inkwell.

"I... had an impromptu appointment with Doctor Iris." Shanoa explained quietly as she slowly approached the desk. "Sorry for not mentioning it beforehand."

"I figured you had a good reason for your absence." Her partner beamed, trusting her reasons completely. "No need to concern yourself."

"Ah, perhaps." The female warrior averted her eyes and folded her arms across her chest while stepping over to look out the windows that overlooked the front courtyard of the grounds. "But I do have... _other_ concerns."

As Albus stood and moved over to join her by the window, she discreetly pointed back towards the doors to the office, indicating that there were a few 'ears' listening in. And those ears most likely belonged to their newest members, Hugh and Nathan -the nosey scamps.

With those two in close proximity, the professional personas that the older Ecclesians adopted during the day could not be so easily dropped.

Hesitating, Albus considered his actions a moment and opted to mirror the arms-crossed pose of his partner, rather than moving to console her. And so he stood next to her, a polite distance away. They both looked at the scenery in the distance, instead of each other, as they continued their conversation.

"You're not seriously ill, are you?"

"Far from it. ...Though nausea has been a bit of a factor lately." Shanoa closed her eyes tightly and looked away again, as if she were fighting to keep her composure. "I'm... with child."

Albus's breath had caught and stuck in his chest, and he fought the rising stupid grin on his face - but it was so obvious that he was excited to hear the news. He didn't say anything, opting to merely nod his head at her words.

"With the doctor's calculations under consideration, I conceived just before the assault on Dracula's castle." Shanoa continued, eyes also closed but her head was held high.

"...So you're a few months along, then." An unnecessary statement, but it was all he could muster while under the professional persona they both adopted during the day. A pause as he nodded resolutely. "We'll have to temporarily bench you soon. Precautions and all."

Shanoa nodded, but her expression had not become any less severe. When she finally did look back to her partner, she looked as if she were on the verge of tears. "I'm not sure if I'm ready for this."

The conversation had suddenly turned dour, and Albus found himself rather surprised at her. "...If you're unsure about this child, then... just please, carry it to term and I'll take care of the rest." He looked at her, dead serious. "I'll adopt it, raise it, and you don't have to worry about a thing. I'm here most of the time anyhow, so what is childrearing to add to my list of concerns and responsibilities."

Surprisingly not giving him an incredulous look, Shanoa turned to him and shook her head. "No, that's not what I-" She went quiet as she was cut off by Albus turning to her and placing his hands on her shoulders.

"-Considering the sacrifices we each made in the Demon Fortress... this might very well be your only chance to be a mother." A pause, and a light smile from him. "If you don't want to see this 'mission' through, then let me ease the burden from you."

"No... I... " Biting back a sigh, Shanoa looked at the floor for a moment, and then mustered a sincere smile as she looked up at her partner. "I was concerned about whether or not I could be a good parent."

Looking him directly in the eyes, she gave him a reassuring smile."...But there will be another Order member, raised with love and care. Don't you worry."

"Good to hear." He nodded, giving her shoulders a squeeze before returning to his crossed-arms stance. "Now, I don't want to presume to tell you how to mange your own body, but... please be careful. For both your sakes."

A quiet laugh, and a sarcastic salute followed from the warrior. "Sir. Yes sir."

* * *

Later that evening in their shared private quarters, Albus practically tackled Shanoa on to their bed, clutching her close and hugging her tightly. "Why didn't you wait until tonight to tell me?" He asked, voice muffled by a combination of pillows, Shanoa's hair, and the lace cravat around her neck. "You scared the ever-loving mercy out of me at the office."

"I'm sorry." She meant her apology, but she could not help but chuckle at the excitement of her partner. Arms having encircled Albus, she hugged him tighter for a moment and then patted his back comfortingly. "I couldn't wait to tell you~"

"I gathered as much." Shifting his weight to his forearms, he pushed himself back a bit so he could look her directly in the eyes, cradling her head gently in both of his hands while leaning down to give her a short, soft kiss. Afterward, he rolled to one side and draped a free arm over her . A contented sigh elicited, and he ran a hand up the side of her arm, tracing along the rune marking on the connected shoulder.

"...A baby. I cannot even _begin_ to express my happiness right now,"

"Did you mean all of what you said?" Shanoa asked him quietly, also rolling on to one side to face him. Closer as she was, she looked down at the accent straps on his vest as she reached to fiddle with them. His offer to raise the child alone if she didn't wish to have it was extreme - if not sweet. And oddly humbling.

"Every single word."

"I don't deserve you." She laughed, brushing the tip of her nose against his, then snuggled closer for a warm hug.

"Yes you do." He beamed, wrapping both arms around her and holding her tightly. "Perfectly intelligent and attractive pairs like us don't just happen every day, you know. We've got to stick together."

* * *

**Post 'Clan &amp; Kin' Scenario - New Arrival**

_[LOD Carrie's birth scenario some nine months later. And yay for more fudging with the classic cv-verse timelines. Get over it if you don't like it. I imagine DracX's Iris and Terra are somewhere in their 50s by OoE]  
_

* * *

The 'boys' had been kicked out of the makeshift delivery room while Doctor Iris and a few of the local ladies bustled about getting things ready for the arrival of the baby.

Sitting outside the room, Albus sat closest to the door, with Nathan and Hugh next to him in that same order. As the master of the Order, he could have flexed his right to remain in the room, but he decided to let the women have their way. After all, in many western cultures in their time, child birthing was strictly left to the women. In which, Albus figured it was a bit silly - as why couldn't the husbands be there to support their wives? -It did take two to make a baby, after all.

Then again, a lot of the non-educated masses thought such things were miracles or magic or blessings, and not acts of biological reproduction that every organism on the planet took part of in some way at some point in their life cycle.

Irina of Wygol bustled up the stairs some minutes later, having been sent for by Anna. At the sight of Albus sitting outside she gave him a smile and then tugged on his arm.

"What are you doing - get in there." She laughed, practically dragging him into the room with her, despite the protests from the other women. "You all relax, he has a medical background. Let him support his wife if she wishes it."

"I do," Shanoa nodded from her place on the simple bed in the room. She weakly lifted her head off the pillow mass behind her, which propped her into a half-seated position.

Without a single word, Doctor Iris brought over a chair for Albus and put it to the right of the bed so that he could sit and support Shanoa.

"Think of this for a second," He whispered, then raised his voice to a normal tone. "If the boys were bearing witness to this, who do you think would faint first? Hugh or Nathan?"

"We're still right here!" Hugh called from the hallway, indignant.

A round of laughter elicited from everyone in the room, followed by Shanoa groaning in pain again.

The labour process wasn't very long, but it was rather painful and strenuous for the young mother. There was only so much that her partner could do to help aside from hold her supportively and offer a hand for her to squeeze. But also on occasion he managed to distract her from her pain with more silly questions when she was allowed to rest between contractions.

After all was said and done, Doctor Iris announced a healthy baby girl unto the couple, which Irina then washed and swaddled and gently passed the newborn over to the eager arms of her father.

"Well hello, _Carrie_, my dear." He cooed at the squalling newborn, who was starting to calm down as she adjusted to the warm comforts of her cloth wrappings.

"We've already discussed her name," Shanoa laughed faintly, absolutely exhausted but not enough to prevent her from giving her partner a hard time. With a weak smile, she held out her arms towards her baby.

"Yes, yes. -I'm still calling her that as a nickname." Albus laughed quietly, so very carefully passing the child over to her other parent.

Her smile intensifying as she held the infant, Shanoa felt all her aches and pains simply vanish for the moment that she held the little, warm bundle. "Hello, sweetie. Sorry you had to see your father first. Mother's here now."

"Cute." Albus grumped in jest, smirking as he returned to sitting at the bedside.

Shanoa chuckled softly, feeling her tired consciousness fading rather quickly. "...Fine, you can have her for a little bit... I just need a short rest..."

The exhausted new mother slept solidly for about half an hour, while the proud new father stood vigil in the room with her, standing at the window and holding Carrie for a while before placing the sleeping newborn in the readied bassinet on the other side of the bed.

* * *

**Post 'Clan &amp; Kin' / Fiction AU Scenario - Trials of the Present**

_[Set more in Shanoa's 'voice', this scene deals with difficulties regarding newer Order members.]  
_

* * *

Weary, Shanoa returned to the upper halls of the dormitory and headed for the private quarters she shared with her family. The main room consisted of her partner's old personal quarters, which were much like a large bachelor apartment, but with focus on living and entertaining space, with the sleeping area as an afterthought.

Not having much to move over from her old quarters in the ladies half of the dormitories, there was little evidence in the posh room that she even lived there; save for certain accents and touches, and her trunk of scant belongings at the foot of the bed.

There was a connecting room that doubled as a day room but had the primary function of being Carrie's room and with a closing door to provide personal space for when she was older. But for the present, the door between the two living quarters remained open.

Slipping out of her boots, the tired warrior kicked them aside and flopped face first on to her shared bed, soon curling into a ball and staring ahead at the wall. She was usually the first to go to bed and the last to get up, so moving the bed to allow easy use from both lengths had not been too huge a priority - that and the damn thing was heavy, so leaving it alone was all well and fine with her.

A sigh eventually escaped her lips as she reflected on a circumstance that was swiftly wearing on her nerves and her patience levels, being that newer -and sometimes even older- colleagues would accuse her of being heartless when making tough decisions during away missions.

She had been specifically tasked by the Order's leader, who trusted her completely, to make the tough calls due to her stunted outward displays of emotion. And though Albus knew intimately the machinations of her mind and how she processed her limited emotions, sometimes she resented his faith in her and his appointing her to the position of lead field agent. But then, she had also applied for the role before they had even turned the new Order of Ecclesia into a pseudo mercenary hub that fought the agents of darkness.

Due to their dual sacrifice to put Dracula back to rest, via a trio of Glyphs they had harboured between them, she and Albus both had part of their souls sacrificed to conjure the fatalistic magic - and the sundering of their life essence has taken away their abilities to channel glyphs and other magic through their bodies, and hindered their abilities to enchant and use magical items. And with only half a soul each, they both feared turning into something inhuman if ever they were cursed or in too-lengthy contact with certain miasmas and creatures of the night - but as they had already risked and given their lives in service to the light and the good of mankind, there was little else they could do but continue the fight.

In the past few years, however, they had discovered another detriment of the soul sundering. It had taken away an ability reserved for living beings, and one of the greatest perks of life - parenthood. And so, one or both of them had been rendered sterile by their partial soul sacrifice.

Even though that in their time intimacy before marriage was frowned upon, it was a fortunate happenstance that certain things had happened before their assault on Dracula's castle and the final summoning of the Dominus glyphs - or else Carrie might never have come into existence.

All details aside, Shanoa's memories had barely returned after casting Dominus, and what little there was remained a blur in her mind. She still had the emotional range of a kitchen utensil, but she had mastered certain reactions and could honestly only feel happiness and anger. Feelings that lingered between the two extremes, such as sorrow, regret, melancholy, and so forth, eluded her - but she could register when she ought to feel them. Yet reacting honestly was still hard for her, and so she usually wore a plain expression when dealing with moments where she ought to feel morose emotions.

And thus, her being able to 'coldly' make the hard calls in her missions with her comrades did often make for difficult moments, especially with more vibrant and expressive coworkers like Nathan Graves and Hugh Baldwin. Hugh was put in his place once by Albus, and the youth never uttered another negative comment afterwards. Nathan, however, seemed to hold some animosity over Shanoa's lack of emotion and never seemed to drop it - but the way he passionately spoke of the subject spoke more of his little crush on Shanoa, than of his distaste of her differences.

It still hurt, though, to be asked if she were heartless. Her heart always felt like it was clenching when anyone from the Order was rude about it - and she would keep a straight face until returning to her quarters to avoid publicly getting angry. Sometimes, she wished she could feel sorry for herself, instead of angrily boring metaphorical holes into the walls with her eyes as per her usual tactic when met with such discord.

She lay there for some time before her partner entered the room, though she did not greet him and said nothing as he sat on the edge of the bed and placed a supportive hand on her shoulder.

"Did someone call you heartless again?" Albus asked quietly, but the tone in his voice implied that he was smiling as he asked the question - humor being his approach from time to time in diffusing a tense moment. "Shall I put Graves on escort quest duty? I know those missions grate on everyone's nerves."

"No need." Shanoa replied with a huff, shaking her head lightly. "I handled it."

The only response she received was a quiet chuckle as Albus murmured 'All right' and patted her shoulder before leaving her to her solitude.

A minute later, lighter footsteps approached and stopped at the edge of the bed, and a soft 'Mamma?' was heard. But before she could turn to address her daughter, Albus had already picked the child up in his arms and explained to her that 'Mom needs a moment alone'.

Shanoa rolled on to her other side and stretched both arms out towards Carrie. "No, it's all right. Come here."

Another quiet laugh escaped Albus, for the way Shanoa made a grabby-hands motion for her child was endearing on so many levels. Once he set Carrie down near her mother, he turned to leave them be, but stopped short when he felt his hip sash snag on something. Or rather, Carrie had grasped it and looked at him questioningly.

Shanoa, in tune with the toddlers' thoughts, smiled at her partner and asked where he thought he was going, and that she had been motioning at the two of them. Albus looked over his family for a moment, considering that he didn't really have much time for 'snuggling', but... well, it couldn't hurt matters to cuddle with 'his girls' for a few moments before getting back to work.

* * *

**Post 'Clan &amp; Kin' / Fiction AU Scenario - Familial Reflections**

_[Set in Carrie's point of view: a quiet confirmation of her parents and their relationship.]  
_

* * *

Though still quite young, Carrie knew very well her parents loved each other - and her - very much.

Most of the young girls' time was spent with Father in his office while he did important paperwork and handled other Order business. But he always kept an eye on her and would often take breaks with her in her little corner of the room and join her in playing with her toys, read her a fairy tale from one of her books, or tell her nice stories about the late Grandpa Barlowe, before going back to work for another hour or so.

Mother was often off and away on missions for the Order, as being the lead field agent demanded much of her time for she was a warrior type and it was her calling. And though the youngster knew her mother was strong and loved the work she did, Carrie was never disappointed whenever her mother returned home - for she was always greeted with a loving smile and a tight hug. Or half a hug if her father wouldn't let her go in time - he seemed to like hugging both of 'his girls' at the same time; something about family unity and all.

As stern and straight-laced as he could be at times, Carrie knew what a softie her father really was when it came to those he loved. And in those times when her mother returned from the field, Carrie would playfully cringe when her parents would briefly embrace, but it was a heart-warming thing for the child to witness and bask in such love between two people, and the love they both had for their daughter.

The odd time, Carrie would overhear gossip from some of the other Order members about whether or not her parents were actually together, and if the Order's leader was actually her father.

Her parents' professionalism on the job certainly helped fuel the rumours, and their lack of rings had not gone unnoticed by some of the others.

But Carrie knew the truth, and she had seen the box where both their rings sat nestled together. Not having much to their names that was actually theirs, as most of their funds went back into the Order's management, they took great care of their rings and did not wear them into the field or when working in the alchemy labs or handling messy parchment. Essentially, her parents rarely wore their rings but it did nothing to shake their feelings or their commitment to each other.

As it were with all couples, there were arguments. And Carrie had seen her share of them; either between one of her parents and another Order member, or between both her parents.

Usually there was an amicable end to all disputes -at least if she were present. If anyone left the room in a huff- be it the head office or their private quarters - it was eventual that the person would return and toss Carrie an apologetic glance before seeking to smooth things out with the other person. Worked every time.

The content of most arguments across the Order were differences of opinion on certain matters pertaining to mission successes and failures, but there was no textbook finish nor was there a perfect ending to be had in all cases. And some people were worse at accepting that than others.

Sometimes after a mission, Mother would be accused by a colleague (never by Father) as being heartless. Though she did not visibly react to such words thrown her way, Carrie knew it affected her deeply.

Aware of her Mother's stunted emotions, Carrie did not quite understand why it was so. Either way, whenever her mother would look so suddenly tired after such a 'conversation', the young girl would immediately move to comfort her without saying a word - opting to just lay her head on her mother's lap or snuggle against her if Mother had laid down on the couch or on the bed.

It usually worked, and while being snuggled tightly by her mother, she would be thanked for being such a little godsend.

* * *

**Post 'Clan &amp; Kin' Scenario - Arcane Hair**

_[A short scenario entailing how Carrie's hair might have ended up blue.]  
_

* * *

Carrie was six when her first magic scare happened. She had tagged along with her father to the library's locked section of magic tomes, her curiosity finally being sated after spending years wondering what was behind the sealed door.

Although she usually kept her hands to herself, it was in the five seconds that Albus looked away that she touched and released the binding spell on a particularly nasty and self-aware spell tome. Suddenly, she was surrounded by a dark aura flowing from the book, and levitating in the air a few feet from the floor.

"...Daddy...?" Her tone was apologetic, for she knew she had made a big mistake.

Situated as facing away from her father, she heard him gasp when he turned back to check on her, and she felt the force shudder through the aura when he failed to snatch her out of the spell book's miasmic hold and subsequently was slammed against the nearest bookshelf in result.

"Daddy?!" Carrie cried out urgently, worried that her father had been hurt. A flash of green emerged in the dark shadows around her and seemed to coat her form, allowing her to move more freely, to which she looked over her shoulder.

Albus groaned from his crumpled position on the floor, shifting a few fallen books from off of him. "-It's okay, baby, I'm here."

Once he was on his feet again, Albus cautiously approached; studying and watching both auras around his daughter. The green one was new... she must have inherited her mother's latent magical gifts. And of all the times for her to be away on a mission.

A defeated sigh sounded as the scholar closed his eyes for a moment and wished he still had his own magical aptitude - but it had been sacrificed and though he did not regret it, he did find it... challenging... to be without his old abilities in such a crucial moment.

And despite that Carrie was growing more frantic by the minute, she was putting up quite the brave front.

There was no time to draw out how to properly dispel the energy - what was more important was getting her free. The setbacks could be dealt with after.

Straightening, he adopted his 'serious parent' mask/persona he used whenever he lectured his daughter on life lessons, hoping it would help him keep his composure while he focused on calming and saving his child. "Carrie, I need you to try to relax and focus on the 'green', okay?"

"O-okay."

The next five minutes were exhausting for the child, as she followed her father's strict but careful instructions on how to focus and channel the green energy that she herself had produced when she had grown worried for his safety over hers.

Eventually she managed to invert her shield and enveloped the aura from the book into a contained ball, freeing herself from the miasma. The powers struggled back, and Albus moved to support his daughter, picking her up in his arms and supporting her hands with one of his, helping her drive the dark tendrils back into the book from whence they came.

After reactivating the sealing relic that kept the book in check, Albus staggered back a few steps and plopped down to the floor, propping himself up against a bookshelf while cradling Carrie close against his chest and left shoulder.

He sighed, running a hand through her hair, smiling in relief at his brave little girl."... Good job, my dear-" He paused, and the smile fell from his face when he noticed that something was off.

"...Daddy?" Carrie looked up at him, concerned by his expression suddenly falling. "...Did I grow horns or something?"

He shook his head 'no', his gaze still transfixed on his daughter's hair. It had once been blue-black, like her mothers', but it looked as if all the tint had been stripped from the follicles and all that was left was the hue of the highlights. The faded blue hair was... unique. And he could not help but tousle a few strands of it with the one free hand of his.

"-I'm not going to hear the end of this when your mother gets home."


	18. Extra Scenario - The Away Mission

**Pre 'Clan &amp; Kin' Scenario - The Away Mission (incomplete)**

_[Set a few years before the start of the game. And in which our in-a-secret-relationship Ecclesians score a mission to Paris]  
_

* * *

Discreetly, Albus wiped at the cold sweat that broke out on his brow. A rare opportunity had just arisen, and he could not appear too eager or too disinterested in choosing a partner for his next away mission. The execution of such a task was nigh-impossible without blowing his cover.

Five dossiers sat on Master Barlowe's desk, and while Albus was relatively aware of all the abilities, strengths, and shortcomings, of each suggested field agent, he knew he had to look at each file out of formality's sake.

For the first time in practically ages, Shanoa was on the pre-selected list of viable seconds available to him. The last time they had been on a mission together, things had been different as they had not yet come to recognize and confess their secret attractions to one another. And now with the option to 'get away' for a bit from the prying eyes of their Order - an Order that despite being rather ahead of its time, routinely discouraged fraternizing between its members. They had more important things to focus on, after all.

...Not that there had really been any 'fraternizing' on their behalf. There wasn't any time between both their schedules to be intimate if they had so desired to, and in all honestly, they were both completely fine with things not having escalated into anything... complicated. Nor would things escalate any time soon, as such complications could and would further hinder their progress as hunters, and their reputations within the Order; for Albus's reputation as Chief Researcher already hinged on his temperament and 'young' age, and Shanoa's as one of the best melee agents but lacking some compatibility within a team setting.

But therein was the trick. Shanoa was indeed the best at melee fighting, and complimented Albus's mid to long-range firearm tactics, but the other dossiers held a variety of folk from across the departments, all suitable for certain missions.

Acting indifferent, Albus grabbed the first dossier folder and flipped through it. "Mission specifics, Master?"

Master Barlowe sat behind his desk, elbows on the tabletop and his folded hands resting against his mouth. "Sightings of a werewolf in Paris. Primarily recon to validate the rumours."

Darn it. Albus wouldn't need any of the melee fighters. That ruled out the file in his hand, and Shanoa. "Easy enough. I could take one of my Research Department with me."

"Yes. Perhaps. However, if the rumours turn out to be truth, then you will have to deal with the creature."

Fighting to keep his eyes from lighting up, Albus set aside the two files of his colleagues that were not heavily melee trained. Casually, he picked up the first file again, flipped through it and feigned interest in the specs of the agent. He did the same with Shanoa's file, and then with the third person's file. Though that third file was the least useful of the trio - issues with travel and intel gathering? Pass. -At least he didn't have to fake a reason why the agent wasn't suitable.

Now to somehow choose between the two. He could pretend to be completely impartial and have the Master pick, but that was a 50-50 chance of him ending up in Paris with someone who wasn't the apple of his eye. No thank you.

"Madison excels in speed and evasion, yet Shanoa hits with raw power. -Too bad we can't _combine_ them into one person for this mission." The scholar chuckled under his breath as he glanced towad his mentor.

The Master smiled slightly and nodded, adding in light jest that it would indeed make things a bit easier.

For a few minutes, Albus mulled both dossiers over, or pretended to do so, until he seemed almost ready to choose the other lady's file. Taking a chance, he handed it to Barlowe, who flipped through it quickly and paused on one page only to double-tap something he found to be of importance.

"Perhaps not this one. A side note here states an aversion to nudity. -Those creatures rarely do wear pants."

"Oh? Silly of me not to have caught that footnote. Let me see?" Albus was lying through his teeth at that point, but his cool acting was more than enough to come across as genuine. Looking at the notes, he looked for what Barlowe had pointed out, re-read it, and sighed. "Well then I guess I have to settle for this one. "

With that, he unceremoniously slapped Shanoa's dossier back down on the desk. "I'm not looking forward to all the arguing."

Master Barlowe raised an eyebrow in concern. "Is she prone to showing you insubordination?"

"Not when it's mission time. Never fear, she is professional in all sense of the word." Albus nodded faintly, then crossed his arms over his chest. "She tends to worry. And say 'I told you so' a lot during 'free time', however. Very familial of her."

A quiet chuckle sounded from the leader of Ecclesia as he good-naturedly waved off his most trusted pupil. Kids raised together would always be kids, no matter how old they got. "Off with you - go tell your combat partner you'll both be leaving at dawn."

"Yes, sir."

Leaving the Master's study and closing the door behind him, Albus couldn't help the impossibly large grin that surfaced on his face in the privacy of the empty hallway.

Of course, the utmost discretion would have to be maintained at almost all times, and their travel and lodging expenses would also have to reflect that they were simply two colleagues on a mission. Nonetheless, Albus had plenty of his personal salary to spend on more extracurricular activities - like sightseeing and fine dining, and perhaps the odd fancy-wear purchase or seven. How they both loved fine clothes, but rarely had a place to wear such garments aside from holidays at home.

A brisk walking pace soon brought the Chief Researcher to the women's half of the dormitory hall and to Shanoa's quarters. Knocking lightly, he awaited her to answer and invite him in, before he closed the door behind himself and reached for the other Ecclesian's face with both hands, and planted a quick kiss on her mouth. As she started to question the sudden affection, she paused at the inexplicable glee on her partner's face.

"Guess who's going to Paris on a mission?" He asked, though excited he forced himself to keep his volume down.

"What?" Shanoa blinked in disbelief. No way. Them? _Both_? In _Paris_? "Us? -You mean _us_? H-how did you manage...?"

"Yes, _us_. -And I didn't really have to pull any strings. It simply worked out in our favour. We leave at dawn."

Now otherwise speechless, Shanoa clutched Albus close in a tight hug, a smile beaming across her face as she rested her head against his right shoulder. They stood there, hugging in silence, for some time until Albus gently eased himself from her embrace.

"See you in the morning." Stepping back towards the door, he kept one of her hands in his grip and bowed to kiss the back of it. "Rest well, my dear."

Shanoa bowed her head politely as her partner left the room, softly adding 'You as well.'

* * *

Once she was alone again, an almost child-like glee overcame her. Flopping backwards on to her bed, she reached over for her pillow and clutched it to her face chest as she stared at the ceiling. The smile on her face was obstructed by the pillow, but that had been intentional.

Part of the Order's doctrine was indeed extending love and kindness to those around oneself. For as much as it was preached at the younger members of the Order, she felt no guilt over the mutual affection between her and Albus. It was, after all, another form of love.

But sometimes her caution got the better of her. To be more accurate, they were both at fault for sometimes being too cautious. They had found out early on that completely ignoring each other or being a bit too mean in a teasing sense brought about more suspicion from their colleagues. Queries about if they had gotten into a fight, etcetera, for everyone knew they were close, but the general consensus was that their relationship was closer to sibling-like as they had been inducted into the Order around the same time and had been near-inseparable as children.

As their differences in studies and fighting techniques took them away from each other's company more and more, Shanoa found herself missing her dear friend more and more in the passing years. And then one day just before Albus had officially become Chief Researcher, she visited him in his new, rather lavish private quarters on the third floor of the dormitories, and confessed to him that she had grown rather fond of him. To her surprise and relief, he returned her feelings, and they had a long discussion about keeping things quiet and simple until they either completed their life-long mission, or managed to find a loophole that would enable them to have an open-air relationship.

Of course, that was easier said than done. Despite the slight heartache that their secret relationship might have caused them, due in part to both needing to remain professional, and the rarity of being able to spend more than a few hours a week with each other, such a thing was also invigorating in its own way, and caused a bit of a bounce in each of their steps.

Love was, indeed, a wonderful and powerful thing.

And then... her mind shifted to their off-time during the up-coming mission. Yes, she was seventeen now and practically considered an adult, but... what if there were certain things expected of her? Despite the fraternizing restriction and all, it was still a possibility that things could... happen.

A faint blush rose to her cheeks as her mind wandered places it had not for some time, and she buried her entire face into her pillow.

_No, no. Albus was a gentleman._ She knew and believed that with every part of her being. That, and despite how new-age they were, there were still certain expectations on remaining proper, and not engaging in certain acts before being wed to another person.

Yet again, it was an act of passion _and_ love, so... it wasn't wrong, was it?

Reflecting on the possibility of 'if' a bit longer, Shanoa finally came to accept that she would take things as they came. And if she was not ready, well, she knew she could voice her aversion to such things and it would not strain their relationship.

Taking another few moments to collect her thoughts, she then got up and busied herself with packing for the trip.

* * *

His own packing complete, Albus closed his travel case and put the luggage near the doorway. He had packed rather light as he expected to come home with new items for his wardrobe. It was about time he spoiled himself with new clothes. His everyday attire was getting a bit worn and haggard. And in his new position, he definitely had to keep an air of pride and esteem about himself.

Wandering over to the seating area of his quarters, he sat on the wood-framed sofa and looked out the picture windows at the sun setting over the landscape. Absolutely beautiful.

His own thoughts wandered to Shanoa, and at first he felt elation for finally being able to go somewhere nice with her (despite work). But soon after he found his mind wondering about certain things. Shanoa was typically the more direct person in their relationship, so... would she end up suggesting certain things to do during their off time?

_No. Shanoa was a lady in all respects._ That he was sure of. And yet he knew if such matters did come up, he would likely politely decline. The risks of a full 'union' were too high and too costly should things end up complicated. That, and there as propriety to maintain, as well as their mission to protect all mankind. As much as they loved each other, there were indeed priorities and expectations of them

Like Shanoa, he felt no guilt in their mutual affection, but he did sometimes feel a bit bad about having to be so secretive. Love was love, no matter what religion and doctrine dictated. There was little sense in denying people their feelings.

Sure, being science-minded, he could argue about it all being hormones and chemicals in the brain and body - but it was hard to deny himself such feelings and render them down to cold and clinical facts of biology, when the emotions felt so pure and wonderful.

Albus rather looked forward to the mission itself, as they had once made an efficient team. They could do so again. No problem.

And with their free time, he looked forward to dining out and dancing in locals within the recovering city. After the French Revolution, and with the Bourbon Restoration well under way, Paris was slowly regaining its livelihood and potential.

* * *

The first downside of the mission was the travel time, as it was about a week via stagecoach. There was a newly built railway in Paris, but it connected to the British Empire. There were no such railways in Romania just yet. A shame, really. Taking a train would have cut their travel time by at least half.  
Another thing was that no matter how much one could like another person, ten days of being stuck in a confined space was straining on the patience. As tense as things had become, both were quite glad at first that they had to take two rooms at their chosen inn.

After a brief discussion, they both decided that it would be best to spend some time apart before meeting up again for dinner.

Barely two hours later, Albus heard a knock on the adjoining door in his suite (an odd trend popping up in newer hotels) and unlocked the door on his side. Her own door propped open, Shanoa stood before him with a grin on her face. Before Albus could ask what she wanted, she grabbed his hand and dragged him through the dual doorway, stating that she wanted his help picking out armor for 'the hunt'.

Being a proficient swordswoman, her choice weapons were laid out on the double bed, two rapiers, a broadsword, and a pack of throwing knives.

"Is that _all_?" Albus chuckled quietly, his tone rather teasing.

"Mmm-yes. I'm aware of how much I can carry effectively." Shanoa folded her arms lightly and faced her partner, a small smile alight on her face. "I left my cannon at home, so you can kindly cease your criticizing."

"Yes, dear." Another chuckle from the scholar. "So, what did you bring? The heavy leather or the light steel?"

"Both sets. I'm well-versed in werewolves theoretically but this is my first mission actually fighting one. You've dealt with a few, so I am open to suggestion from the agent-in-command."

"Well, since you are being... 'formal'," Pausing a moment, Albus eyed her suspiciously and wondered how sarcastic Shanoa was really being. "I will indulge your request. Now, let's see. -Definitely the light plate on your arms and torso. But you're going to have to be able to move quickly. I know your sets are custom-made to your size, but if they hinder your movement at the wrong time... well, you know how it goes."

Shanoa looked over her armor and pondered aloud, "I think I'll...go with the leather tassets and shoulders - the rest can be light plate. My cavalry boots as usual, too, and despite them being thick leather, I will layer the light plate on top."

"Sounds good. Did you bring pants, or will you be wearing the usual ensemble?"

The 'usual' ensemble was a dark blue dress with long sleeves that she had come to favour in recent months - the work she put into her training while in the garment was evident in the bottom hem, as it was a bit tattered and sported a 'custom' high slit for mobility's sake.

"The usual, of course. And what about you? The same?"

Albus shook his head as he crossed his arms over his chest. "I've a hardened leather set for this occasion. The technique used to prepare it makes it light, very durable, and hard to cut."

"I don't recall the last time I've witnessed you with more armor than bracers and a chest piece."

"Normally I don't have to be as cautious. It's the same with zombies, in a sense. You really, really don't want them touching your skin." A shrug as he lightly went on about precautions in the field that they were both very aware of.

"-Ah yes, same with the odd variety of Une plants and other wonderfully poisonous plants and creatures." Shanoa mused, nodding faintly as she added her two cents to their recap.

Giving a polite bow, Albus attempted to excuse himself from the room. "Indeed. Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm going to start getting ready for our dinner date."

"Wear something nice," Shanoa teased, laughing softly as Albus's reply came in the form of a wink and a quiet 'always'.

* * *

Dinner in the hotel's restaurant was interesting, as it was more of a tavern than a fine dining establishment. The upbeat ambiance was pleasant rather than annoying, and the two enjoyed themselves just fine.

Their post-dinner 'walk' outside in the dimly lit streets of the city helped familiarize them with landmarks, but as far as further recon intel went, there was nothing much to work with. The next day would be hard work, both day and night.

Once returning to their rooms and readying themselves for bed, Shanoa lingered in the adjoined doorway in her nightdress, amused at how modest Albus insisted on being. The man slept in a tank top and underpants, but while Shanoa was near by, a long bathrobe served to cover up most of him.

Shyly, Shanoa approached and leaned up to give him a soft kiss goodnight. Her retreat to her room was hindered both by her lack of desire to leave just yet, as well as her being held in place by how Albus had embraced her in return to her display of affection.

"You're welcome to stay," He ventured, tone so quiet and apprehensive that it was a wonder that the words formed at all.

"I...I don't know..." Breath hitching, she looked away from him. "I'm not _ready_,"

Eyebrows raising, Albus let go of her completely, yet then placed his hands on the sides of her shoulders and put a slightly-more-polite distance between them. "Let's back up a step. I meant that if you felt inclined, you would be welcome to sleep _next_ to me. Not _with_. Relax."

"Oh." A pause, and an uncharacteristic smirk, as if she were imitating his. Humor to diffuse embarrassment… and she just realized that such a thing had rubbed off from him. "-And why not?"

A finger pointed at her in light warning. "You know _exactly_ why. And we'll discuss the elephant in the room, tomorrow."

"Just checking."

"Don't be impossible." Albus gave a smirk as he took off his robe and tossed it on to the bed before shifting the covers aside

"No, that's _your_ duty."

A tired sigh sounded from Albus as he looked over at her flatly after having gotten into bed. Pulling the blankets up to his chest he then rolled on to one side so that his back faced her. "If you're not accepting my invitation, then be a dear and see to the lights before you leave. -And have a pleasant rest."

Shanoa glanced across the room at the oil lamp on the desk, and moved to dim the light down to a faint glow. Afterwards, she moved around to the other side of the bed and crawled under the covers.

"You don't have to get so mad - I was just teasing." She said as she lay on her side to face Albus. With one finger she reached to poke the tip of his nose, if only to continue to be a bit of a pest.

"I'm not mad," He replied softly, taking her extended hand in one of his and grasping it fondly and pressing a kiss to her knuckles. "Sleep well. We've a long day tomorrow."

"And you. Partner."

* * *

The next afternoon was spent indoors, lazing about on the bed in Albus's room with books on local lore and legend, and the odd street almanac, a tea tray and the odd plate of snacks here and there. They seemed very at-home with having figured out how to haphazardly snuggle and research at the same time. -Something they did not have the luxury to do back home.  
They already had 'the talk' upon returning to their rooms after breakfast, and though they agreed that they had every excuse to go about things like 'normal' people in love, they knew they had to keep propriety and restraint in mind. As hard as it might be, they knew they had to, and would 'check' each other if one became a bit too… amorous. Otherwise, as long as they were behind closed doors, there was nothing wrong with being in close proximity and showing the occasional display of affection.

* * *

**_to be continued - perhaps_**


End file.
